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BARNES' COUNTY HISTORY 



A BRIEF HISTORY 

OF 

Chemung County 

NEW YORK 

FOR THE USE OF GRADED SCHOOLS 
By ^USBURN TOIVNER 




NEW YORK 

A. S. BARNES & COMPANY 
1907 



UBiVUtY of CONGRESS 
Two Ooples Received 

^FH 20 1507 

(77-f«pyi1eht E«tiy 

CUSS A J^Ch No, ' 

/(. ^(, 01. 

C©PY D. 






Copyright 1907 by 

A, S. BARNES «fc COMPANY 

AUi RiQHTs Reserved 



To the Children of Chemung County 

of whom I was one^ 

I dedicate 

this little hook, with the wish that their lives may he 

as bright and sunny as was mine in*-' the dearest spot 

on Earth to me." 

Aushurn Towner, 

March; 1907. 



INTRODUCTION 

Local history is fleeting and evanescent. Events 
of one day, even considered of supreme importance 
at the time, are forgotten the next day, and soon 
drop into oblivion. Any effort to recall them, after 
years have passed, entails tireless and exhaustive 
research amongst the files of musty, old newspapers, 
private memoranda, public records, and, best of all; 
the interviewing and arousing the recollections of 
elderly persons; preferably ladies, for their memories 
are usually very retentive and are seldom found 
inaccurate. Very much that follows is from the 
remembrances of old ladies; who knew the country 
in their girlhood; when it was pretty much all woods 
and swamps. Interviews with them could only be 
characterized as delicious. If there could be repro- 
duced only one-half of all they have recalled, it 
would form a book many times the size of this, and 
if their names could be given; they would be recog- 
nized as belonging to some of the oldest and best- 
known families of the county. 

Seldom does a company assemble socially for a 
quiet visit that the discussion of ''old times'' does 
not come up during the gathering; and those most 
eagerly listened to are the ones who can tell the 
most about the periods when our "grandfathers 



" INTRODUCTION 

lived." It is a subject not particularly valuable, 
perhaps with some exceptions, but always inter- 
esting and entertaining. 

It will be found that children are always attracted 
toward subjects of this character, and it is safe to 
place such memories in their keeping. They can 
then tell all about their homes and the people dwell- 
ing thereabouts, and transmit their knowledge to 
an indefinite posterity. When they are fully in- 
formed concerning these matters in their own locali- 
ties, they will be prepared to enter with enthusiasm 
upon the study of the stories of the larger affairs 
of the world. 

AusBURN Towner. 



PART I 



The County and Valley during the 

closing years of the XVIII 

Century 



But many of the fathers, who were ancient men, had seen 
the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid 
before their eyes. — Ezra, iii., 12. 

His echoing axe the settler swung, 

Amid the sea-like solitude. 
And, rushing, thundering down were flung 

The Titans of the wood. — Alfred B. Street. 



The Closing Years of the XVIII 
Century. 

Beginning with a battle. — Chemung County, N. Y.; 
gets its name, as does the river that flows through 
it, from an Indian term meaning '*Big Horn/" It 
is situated in the southern part of New York State; 
on the borders of the State of Pennsylvania about 
half way between the eastern and western boun- 
daries of New York; in latitude 42° N., its western 
line being on the same meridian as that of Washing- 
ton; D. C.3 from which longitude is sometimes 
reckoned, 

It is about 400 square miles in extent. 

The whole section of the country in which the 
county lies was very little, if at all, known before 
1779. It was introduced to the notice of the 
country and the world by a brisk and fierce, although 
brief battle, that was fought on the hillside three 
miles south of Elmira; on August 29 of the year 
named, between the American forces and the In- 
dians and Tories, in which the American forces were 

*Two large tusks or horns, relics of long-past ages, were 
found embedded in the banks of the river. It is not known 
positively, at present, where these horns are now located, al- 
though one is said to be near Oswego, N. Y. 

3 



4 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

victorious.' It is the most important event in 
the history of the county and one of the most 
important battles of the Revolutionary War. It 
broke entirely the power of the Indians in that 
region; who were the allies of the English. It also 
opened the country for settlers. General Sullivan 
found the fertile region occupied by a number of 
comfortable villages and there were great crops of 
com, watermelons; and almost every kind of fruit 
just about ready to be gathered. In accordance 
with his orders he left it a waste and a wilder- 
ness. 

Many of the soldiers engaged in the battle re- 
turned to the valley and made it their permanent 
home. But most of the earlier settlers came from 

^In this conflict, called "The Battle of Newtown," there 
were about 4,000 men engaged, an equal number on each 
side. The American troops were under the command of 
Major-General John Sullivan, and the Indians under that 
of the famous Iroquois half-breed, Joseph Brant and Colonel 
John Butler. General Washington himself, who knew well 
how to fight Indians, laid the plans of the expedition, warn- 
ing General Sullivan especially against being ambushed 
or surprised in the night. The object of the expedition 
into such an unknown country was to punish the Indians 
for numerous atrocities they had committed upon the set- 
tlers at Wyoming and many other places, and to destroy 
their country which had been used to furnish supplies for 
the British army. The natural features of the hillside 
formed a most admirable spot for the Indians to lay a trap 
for the Americans, and they took full advantage of them. 
General Sullivan didn't fall into it. He came around the 
hill in their rear and flank and utterly routed them. There 
were only twenty-five men killed in the fight; it lasted only 
a few hours. Why it is called "The Battle of Newtown" 
it would be diflficult to determine. There was no Newtown 
there when the battle was fought. It should be "The 
Battle of Chemung." The title is attractive, indigenous, 
sonorous, and descriptive. There are any quantity of 
Newtowns all over the country. There is only one Che- 
mung. 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 6 

the neighborhood of Wilkesbarre, Pa., from Orange 
County, N. Y., and from the State of Connec- 
ticut. 

The earliest settlers. — It was a hard journey to 
get to the county. There were no roads, and the 
river supplied the only means of communication. 
In little boats, which they pushed up the stream 
with long poles, the early comers made their tedious 
and toilsome way. Or they walked, leading their 
horses or oxen, who bore all their earthly posses- 
sions. 

Within ten years after the battle there were a 
number of families scattered all through the bor- 
ders of the county induced to come thither by the 
stories the soldiers had spread abroad of the extreme 
f ruitfulness of the country. They found it equaling 
their expectations, and there are many in the 
valley now bearing the names of those who, in the 
latter years of the eighteenth century, made it 
their new home, leaving records that it is 
pleasant to recall." As all pioneers, they were a 

'There are some names of all that came, that for many 
reasons, deserve recalling and a continuance in our mem- 
ories. Major William Wynkoop, a Revolutionary soldier, 
who was at the battle of Saratoga, who built the first fraire 
house in the township of Chemung, and the first grist-mill 
there, and kept the first tavern. He died in 1827, aged 
seventy-four years. Capt. Daniel McDowel, his descendants 
now spell it McDowell, a Scotchman, and a Revolutionary 
soldier. He was outrageously tortured by the Indians, 
who called him " iiCe^o " or the "iron man.'* He also settled 
in Chemung Township. Elijah Buck, who gave his name 
to Buckville, though the village afterwards became Chemung. 
Abner Wells, from whom Wellsburg is named. Isaac 
Baldwin, who, with his eight sons became a power in the 
county, of whom we shall hear more later on. Lebeus 
Hammond, who is remembered in the name of "Hammond's 
Corners," whose miraculous escape from the Indians, not 



6 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

rude; rough, even quarrelsome, lot of men. They 
were having a continual struggle with Nature; and 
had no objection to a physical argument with fists 
among themselves. It is a matter of tradition that 
such amusements as horse-racing on Sundays were 
not unusual among them. That may be hearsay, 
but it is a matter of record that at the time of which 
I write there were more distilleries than there were 
flouring mills and sawmills together, in the county! 
In 1786, Gen. James Clinton, who commanded a 
brigade in the "Battle of Newtown," one of the 
family of George Clinton, from whom was named 
the attractive island that once formed a beauty spot 
in the valley, and who is only remembered now 
by the name of a street in Elmira; Gen. John 
Hathom and John Cantine, Esq., were appointed 

told of much now, though it deserves to be, makes one's 
hair stand on end. John Breese and Asa Gildersleeve, 
who came to Horseheads from New Jersey. John Sly, who 
took up some of the richest lands in Southport near the 
river bank, and became very wealthy. It is a tradition 
that he and his wife came into the county, both riding one 
horse, who also bore all their worldly possessions. Na- 
thaniel Seely, Jr., and his brothers, who left their name 
and much else besides to a boisterous creek that flows through 
Southport into the Chemung River. Andrew Gregg, an 
Irishman from Enniskellen, whose son Andrew K., became 
one of the most distinguished lawyers of the State, and a 
grandson. Gen. William M. Gregg, who was an efficient officer in 
the Civil War. Gen. Matthew Carpenter was very con- 
spicuous in the early political and military affairs of the 
county. He served as county clerk for twenty-seven years. 
A daughter of his, who married Robert Thompson, published 
a small volume of poems, which with local pride she called 
"The Lyre of Tioga." It was the first literary effort put 
forth in the county. Some one with little learning and 
no critical ability, observed rudely at the time that the 
author seemed to be a poor speller! Abner M. Hetfield, 
who made the town of Southport more populous by con- 
tributing twelve children to the enumeration. His son, 
Richard, became a character who will long be rememberea 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 7 

commissioners on the part of the State to survey 
the lands in the county* and to settle disputes that 
had arisen among those located there. The family 
of General Hathom are still conspicuous citizens 
of the county. 

A famine, — In the autumn of 1789 there was 
an unusual occurrence in the valley. A famine 
prevailed throughout the county! It was occa- 
sioned by a severe frost the preceding spring that 
destroyed the crops that were expected to be har- 
vested. It created great suffering and for many 
years was referred to as an event to be remembered 
with something like horror. The people lived on 
a certain sort of wild bean; which they boiled, and 

for his many good, if peculiar habits and ways. The Gris- 
SELs, David and Elijah, who were very active in the affairs 
in Southport, building grist-mills and sawmills. Their 
descendants now spell the name Griswold. Then the five 
Smiths, beginning with Timothy, a large family of influence 
and importance. Barnabus Tuthill and his son Samuel, 
on what is now Maple Avenue, in Elmira. John McHenry 
and John and William Fitzsimmons, near neighbors to the 
TuTHiLLS. David Beckwith and Gen. Seth Marvin, 
farther up Seely Creek. Jonathan S. Conkling, James, 
Jonas, and Ebenezer Sayre, Mordecai Rickey, and 
Jacob Westlake, making the way clearer for Horseheads. 
And in Big Flats, Christian Minier, David Reynolds, 
Tunis Dolson, Caleb Gardner, Clark Winans, James 
McNulty, and Green Bentley. Peter Swartwood, 
the father of Gen. Jacob Swartwood, Joel Thomas, Isaac 
and Emanuel Ennis, Samuel, Cornelius and Peter 
Westbrook, John, David, and William Hill, made the 
beginnings in Van Ettenville. 

* There was considerable unoccupied land at that time, 
as their report shows, although a large portion was taken up, 
showing how rapidly the settlers came into the county. 
They surveyed 207,656 acres. Of these, 28,300 acres were 
military locations, 159,186 were disposed of to settlers, 
and 20,170 acres were vacant. The settlers paid eighteen 
pence an acre, which is about equal to the half dollar of to- 
day. 



9 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

on the most nutritious roots they could dig 
from the ground. Relief came when the rye began 
to form. Two young men died from eating to 
excess of this green rye. 

Treaty with the Indians. — An important treaty; 
the last one of the kind in the East, and a final one 
with the Iroquois or Six Nations, was made with 
the Indians at Elmira in 1791. It settled forever 
all questions that were in dispute in that region 
between the Aborigines and the United States 
Grovernment. Timothy Pickerings who had occu- 
pied many distinguished positions under General 
and President Washington, represented the Govern- 
ment and many conspicuous Indian leaders and 
chiefs were present. ' 

Col. John Hendy. — Col. John Hendy was easily; 
for almost fifty years, the most conspicuous char- 
acter in the county. He settled near Elmira in 
1788, and built a cabin, which, although in some- 
what of a dilapidated state, is still standing. He 
was a very impressive-looking man, two inches over 

5 He served as Adjutant-General of the Revolutionary army 
in the New Jersey campaign, was Quartermaster-General dur- 
ing the war, and was in President Washington's Cabinet, 
serving as Postmaster-General, Secretary of War and Secre- 
tary of State. He had great influence with the Indians 
who called him "Con-ni-sau-ti— --the sunny side of a hill." 

« Among these was the famous Seneca Chief Red Jacket, 
who got his English name from his delight in wearing a red 
coat given him by an English soldier. He was an exceed- 
ingly fine orator. The council began its sessions on July 
4 and lasted ten days. There were about 1,400 Indians 
present. One who was present, standing in the doorway 
of Col. John Hendy's cabin, counted them as they passed 
up the valley to the west. Part of the time, the council 
was held near Newtown creek, and the rest of the time at 
a spot still pointed out on Market Street, just east of Madi- 
son Avenue, in Elmira. 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 9 

six feet in height, and to the last as straight as 
a ramrod. He wore his hair long, falling over his 
shoulders, and when it became white was very 
pleasant to look upon. He had been a Revolu- 
tionary soldier. His descendants still live in the 
county. He was always conspicuous in public 
gatherings, Independence Days, and any parades 
or other displays. He died in 1840.' 

Henry Wisner. — Henry Wisner was an Orange 
County man who early became interested in Che- 
mung County. He acquired a large tract of land 
in the eastern and western portions of what is now 
the city of Elmira, and laid out two villages, one 
on the banks of Newtown Creek, near the site of 
an ancient Indian village, » and another in the 
vicinity of what is now Main Street, in Elmira. 
Through his son Jeffrey, and his grandsons, John W. 
and William Henry, the county profited greatly. 
The family name, it would appear, has entirely 
died out. 

7 The first white child born in the county made its appear- 
ance in Colonel Hendy's cabin, although it did not remain 
there. One autumn evening a traveler came along, lead- 
ing a horse bearing a pillion, on which was a woman with 
a child in her arms. The couple asked to be cared for, and 
their request was readily granted. It speedily appeared 
that some unusual care was needed. When Colonel Hendy 
was apprised of the approaching event, he was a little thrown 
off his balance, but recovering nimself with the exclamation, 
"God bless my soul!" he made the necessary arrangements, 
and the event was successfully accomplished. The child 
was named John Hendy Hunt. In three days the strangers 
took up their journey toward Niagara Falls, where they 
were bound, with a cradle added to the pillion. 

8 The name of this Indian village was " Kan-a-we-o-la, " 
or "Head on a pole," although it had another designation 
"ghin-e-do-wa," or "At the Great Plains." 



10 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

Col. Matthias Hollenheck.^ — As has been said, 
many of the earliest settlers of the valley came from 
the neighborhood of Wilkesbarre, Pa. To a citi- 
zen of that place Elmira is very largely, almost 
entirely, indebted for starting the development 
of business there. Matthias Hollenbeck, who was 
a colonel and a judge in his own locality, with his 
large means and business enterprise and sagacity, 
sent up into the valley the pioneers that were to 
open up the county. He sent his son-in-law, 
Stephen Tuttle, his nephews, Robert, Lyman, and 
Miles Covell, and his associates in business, Thomas 
Mifflin Perry, Guy Maxwell, and Matthew Mc- 
Reynolds, the latter of whom built the first brick 
house erected in the county, a little west of Main 
and West Water Streets; in Elmira. These men 
made the first business beginnings of the county 
with the outside world, using the only means of 
communication then provided, the river, down 
which, by the way of the Susquehanna, they sent 
to a market in Baltimore, Md., the produce of the 
county, grain, plaster, and lumber. 

The land was taken up from the banks of the 
river, several miles north, and a settlement was 
made in the neighborhood of what is now East 
Water and Fox Streets and Madison Avenue, 

'Matthias Hollenbeck was a Virginian by birth, a Revo- 
lutionary officer, and was present at the massacre at Wyom- 
ing. He was a great friend of John Jacob Astor, and en- 
gaged with him in a number of trading adventures. By 
the use of his large means in starting the commercial life 
of the valley, by his name and influence, which extend even 
to this day, although he was never even a resident of Che- 
mung County, he is entitled to the grateful and generous 
remembrance of all its citizens, 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 11 

in Elmira. A little west of that locality a ferry 
was established that led over the river to the 
fields of Northern Pennsylvania, only eight miles 
away.»o 

There were other contemporary interests in 
Elmira. The Baldwin lands were just west of 
those described; the Wisner interests still farther 
west; the William Hoffman property next, and 
then the Fitch lands. 

Jacob Lowman, in 1792, came to the neighbor- 
hood of the village and post-office, half way be- 
tween Elmira and Wellsburg, that now bears the 
family name. He acquired a very large landed 
property and left numerous descendants. 

Religious organizations. — The first church organi- 
zation of the county was of the Baptist faith; and 
was started, although not fully established, by the 
Rev. Roswell Gough, or '^Goff " or Parson Goff. He 
held meetings and preached in the neighborhood 
of his home between Wellsburg and Chemung as 
early as 1790. On this same farm was accomplished 
the first grinding of wheat in the county. It was 
in very primitive style. A stump of a tree was hol- 
lowed at the top; and the grain ground after the 
manner of the Indians, with heavy clubs. In 1795 
the Rev. Daniel Thatcher came in to the county 

^°This ferry was kept for many years by a German named 
Kline, who also kept a tavern on the corner of Fox Street. 
When his services as ferryman were required, and he was 
called, his invariable reply was "treckly." It sounded some- 
thing like "directly," but his slow actions seemed to indicate 
some other meaning, and it was used so frequently that it 
became all over the country something of a by-word or 
slang that could be made to mean anything. Kline after* 
wards kept a tavern at Horsehead. 



12 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

under the auspices of the Presbyterian Board of 
Missions. This was the first small beginning of 
what has grown now into the powerful First Presby- 
terian Church of Elmira. Mr. Thatcher was fol- 
lowed in a year or two by the Rev. Brinton Paine 
who, in other relations of life became a strong factor 
in the development of the region. 

New geographical divisions. — In that ancient 
time all that portion of the State, a rather indis- 
tinct and indeterminate quantity, lying west of 
the Hudson River and east of the central lake 
region, excepting the counties of Albany, Ulster, 
and Orange, was called Montgomery County, named 
after General Montgomery, the hero of Quebec. 
The township of Chemung was created in 1788, in 
this county, and comprised almost precisely the 
territory of what is now Chemung County, with a 
portion of Schuyler County added. Although it 
was fifty-three square miles in extent, it contained 
less than one thousand inhabitants. 

Two years afterward the village of Newtown 
was laid out by Henry Wisner. It was the begin- 
ning of the present flourishing city of Elmira, and 
was not much of an undertaking. There was what 
is now called Sullivan Street, named in honor of 
the General who fought the battle of Newtown, 
and was the central highway toward the lake 
region and the road that ran beside the river toward 
the west, with two or three other lanes, nameless 
then and nameless now. 

A portion of Montgomery County was taken by 
act of February 16, 1791, to form a new county, 
which was called Tioga, from the river that ran 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 13 

through its southern part. Chemung Township 
was situated in this new county, and Newtown 
was made a half -shire town; that is; a place where 
courts are held part of the time. 

In 1792 a further change came to the locality? 
the township of. Newtown was erected from the 
Chemung Township. It was very symmetrical in 
shape, almost a parallelogram; and reached from 
the Pennsylvania line to Seneca Lake. The first 
town meeting was held in May of the year named 
at the same Kline tavern already spoken of. 

First Court House. — It was not until four years 
later, in 1796, that a Court House was built to sus- 
tain the dignity of the half shire. It was situated 
on the east side of Sullivan Street; about half way 
between Church and Second Streets. It was neither 
a pretentious nor expensive structure; being built 
of logs; but it must have been firmly put together; 
for it served the purpose for which it was erected 
for thirty years, and remnants of it were observable 
in very recent times. Courts were held before it 
was completed; at the same Kline House; and there 
many of the most distinguished legal lights of the 
State appeared. The new building; which was two 
stories and an attic in height, was used for other 
purposes than the trial of causes. In the lower 
story was the jail; and the home; sometimes; of the 
Sheriff and sometimes of an under Sheriff. The 
court-room itself served as an auditorium for relig- 
ious services; and in the attic were held the meetings 
of a Masonic lodge. A lodge of Masons was con- 
nected with General Sullivan's army; and this 
lodge that met in the Court House was chartered 



14 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

on June 28; 1793; as Union Lodge No. 30. It was 
the second lodge of Masons formed in the western 
part of the State. Some of the most influential 
men of the region were members. 

The first school-house was erected about this 
time. It also was built of logs, and was in the woods; 
standing on a hill, where now stands the Masonic 
Temple. Quite contemporary with this was the 
school-house built in Horseheads in 1793, its first 
teacher being Amelia Parkhurst. 

Visiting royalty. — The year 1797 was marked in 
the locality by an incident that for a long time was 
the subject of local comment and more or less com- 
placency. The French Duke of Orleans; who sub- 
sequently became King Louis Phillippe; and his 
brothers, the Duke de Nemours and the Duke de 
Berri, on their way from Canandaigua to the French 
emigre settlements on the Susquehanna and Phila- 
delphia; tarried for several days at the same Kline 
tavern. They had walked all the way from Canan- 
daigua and waited in Elmira until suitable boats 
could be prepared to carry them farther on their 
journey. 

The character of the settlers. — In early times like 
these there were few settlers who were professional 
men, unless to their profession they added some 
trade or calling. In pioneer days carpenters; 
workers in leather, blacksmiths; gunsmiths; hatters, 
shoemakers, and those of the other useful occupa- 
tions were more needed. Almost every farmer 
was able to mend; if not make, his farming imple- 
ments; which were few and simple; could mend 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y, 15 

or makei i the shoes or boots of his family; and the 
women of the pioneers could attend to the clothing. 
Horseheads and Big Flats. — No stranger ever 
heard the names of the two townships of Chemung 
County; Horseheads, and Big Flats; without a smile 
of bewilderment; that sometimes dwindled into 
derision. But they are both natural and descrip- 
tive names. General Sullivan, on his return; 
didn't have enough ''fodder " for his horses. Rather 
than have them suffer for food or fall into the hands 
of the enemy; he killed a number of them where 
Horseheads is located, and left their bones to bleach 
in the sunlight. There were enough skulls to 
identify the locality as a spot where there were so 
many horse's heads. This very naturally grew 

"Vincent Matthews was the first lawyer to settle in 
the county. He was a man of unusual abilities and was 
one of the most distinguished citizens of the State of his 
time. Dr. Amos Park was the first physician. But he was 
more than a physician. He was a teacher and preacher, 
and built, largely with his own hands, the first frame house 
in Elmira. Dr. Joseph Hinchman soon followed Dr. Park. 
He became a prominent man in the community, was Sheriff 
of the county for one term, and held other public offices. 
John Bennett was a carpenter and joiner, coming into 
Horseheads from Orange County. His son, Comfort be- 
came the largest landholder in the county. The family 
was a large one and has many representatives to this day. 
William Hoffman, one of the strongest characters of his 
day, was a hatter. He acquired large wealth and contri- 
buted to the county many distinguished sons. William 
Dunn, the original ancestor of the family of that name that 
became prominent in the valley, was an innkeeper. 
Nathan Teall was an innkeeper. From his youngest 
daughter Elmira gets its name. He was a conspicuous 
and active man, and as under sheriff was the first 
one to occupy and have charge of the new Court House 
on Sullivan Street. Abraham Miller, who became the 
first Judge of the county, was a wagon-maker and black- 
smith. His family arose to great prominence in the affairs 
of the county. 



16 A BRIEF HISTORY OP 

into the name of the place. Big Flats was known 
to the Indians as ''Great Plains." It was descrip- 
tive, for the great prairies of the West were un- 
known then. In the rural vernacular; the dignified 
Indian appellation dropped into ''Big Flats." At 
best; either name is better than borrowing from 
the classical dictionary or the countries of Europe. 
As we have seen, in a little more than a decade; 
the last one of the eighteenth century, what is now 
the county of Chemung acquired a momentum 
toward development that augured well for the future 
of the locality. 



PART II 

The County of Chemung during the 

first half of the XIX 

Century 



Ah, happy hillsl Ah, pleasing shadel 

Ah, fields beloved in vain! 
Where once my careless childhood strayed, 

A stranger yet to pain: 
I feel the gales that from ye blow, 
A momentary bliss bestow. 
As, waving fresh their gladsome wing, 

My weary soul they seem to soothe, 
And, redolent of joy and youth. 

To breathe a second spring. — Thomas Gray. 

Still o'er these scenes my memory wakes 
And fondly broods with miser care; 

Time but the impression deeper makes, 
As streams their channels deeper wear. 

— Robert Burns. 



The First Half of the XlXth Century 

Postal facilities, — The first day of the new centuryj 
January 1; 1801; was signaHzed by the establish- 
ment of two new post-offices in the county. At 
Chemung; Elijah Buck being the postmaster and 
at Newtown; John Konkle being the postmaster. 
John Konkle's son; Aaron Konkle, succeeded his 
father as postmaster in 1809. » 2 

The county's first citizens, — Chemung County 
from the start was fortunate and continues so to 
be, to the present time; in counting among its citi- 
zens men who were untiring in their efforts to ad- 
vance the prosperity of their locality, and it is to 
be observed that in different periods the same 
men always appear united in the one purpose then 
in view. » 3 

"Elijah Buck served as Postmaster for thirty-three years; 
Aaron Konkle for thirteen years. He was afterward Dis- 
trict-Attorney for the county for nine years, and County 
Judge for one year. The family name of Konkle, once so 
prominent, has entirely disappeared from the County. 

"In this early period, the beginning of the XlXth century, 
the following-named men seemed to be at the bottom of 
every public undertaking, all stirring, active citizens: John 
H. Knapp, Grant B. Baldwin, Samuel H. Maxwell, Levi J. 
Cooley, John Konkle, Stephen Tuttle, Asahel Buck, John 
Arnot, Robert Covell, William Guthrie, Dexter Newell, 
Ebenezer Sayre, Elijah Hinman, Isaac Baldwin, Guy Max- 
well, John C. Clark, Abner M. Hetfield, Matthew Carpenter, 
Solomon L. Smith, William Maxwell, Lyman Covell, David 
Reynolds, Caleb Baker, John G. McDowell, Alonzo I. Wyn- 
koop, all of whom have left representatives in the valley, 
and all of whom are remembered with affection and respect 

19 



20 A BRIEF HISTORY OP 

There were a number of attempts at enterprises 
which seem now to be curious and ahead of their 
times, as they never came to anything; showing; 
however, the activity prevalent, i* 

One of the most eagerly sought-for and desired 
enterprises was an easier and more rapid method 
of communication for business purposes with the 
people of the State to which the county belonged; 
and not to be so utterly dependent upon the river 
and the States of Pennsylvania and Maryland. 

Methods of communication with the outer world, — 
On March 22, 1803, an act of the Legislature was 
procured; authorizing the construction of a turn- 
pike from Newtown to Seneca Lake, to connect 
there with the turnpike to Catskill on the Hudson. 
This was the beginning of what is now known as 
Lake Street; in Elmira; and it ran from the Che- 
mung River to the head of the lake at -' Catherine's 
Landing," now Watkins. 

Then authority was given to certain ones to ex- 

^*There was a corporation authorized in the first decade 
of the century called "The Tioga Coal, Iron, and Manufac- 
turing Company." It had a very wide sweep of operations. 
It was authorized to dig and vend coal, and manufacture 
iron and glass. It went much farther than this, for the 
corporation was allowed to do whatever it chose with the 
Chemung River; build towpaths, locks, culverts, dams, 
anything to improve the stream. It was also authorized 
to lay a railroad to the Pennsylvania line. There was a 
"Chemung Mutual Insurance Company" that never wrote 
a policy, and a "Chemung and Ithaca Railroad" that con- 
templated, but never built, a line down Wynkoop Creek, also 
to the Pennsylvania line. In the latter part of the year 
1829, there was a company incorporated with very ample 
powers called "The Seneca and Susquehanna Lock Navi- 
gation Company." It surrendered its rights, however, in 
favor of the Chemung Canal. 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 21 

plore>' and lay out a route to connect Ithaca^ then 
in Seneca County, with Newtown. 

In 1807, the only regular communication by mail 
that the county had was with Wilkesbarre, Pa.; 
by means of a post-boy on horseback, who took 
four days for the journey, each way, a distance of 
hardly one hundred miles. »6 

The Chemung Canal. — The chief and most impor- 
tant result of the efforts of the county at this period 
was the construction of the Chemung Canal." 
Judge Caleb Baker, of Chemung Township, at the 
time Member of Assembly for the county, was 
largely instrumental in carrying the bill through 
to its successful conclusion.! » When it was known 

^^The word "explore," used in the act, was particularly 
apt and expressive. This was in 1812, and at that time 
and as late as 1823, the State was offering a reward of five 
dollars each for the destruction of any "wolf or wolf-whelp 
or panther" in the County of Tioga, in which Chemung 
was situated, and two dollars each for wild-cats! 

**The community was always in need of iron and nails. It 
is curious now to read how it got them. In 1827, Philip 
ScHULTz, assisted by his brother John, was doing the work 
as occasion required. They had a great canvas-covered 
wagon like a "prairie schooner," drawn by four horses, and 
plied between Elmira and Bellefonte, Pa. Each trip occu- 
pied from two to three weeks, and the return was almost 
as much of an event to the village as when a ship comes in. 

"The first steps were taken by the Legislature looking to 
the work on April 25, 1825, when the selection of a suitable 
route from the river to Seneca Lake was authorized. The 
undertaking was made certain on April 15, 1829, by the 
appropriation of $300,000 for the construction of the work. 
It is to be observed that this act, for the first time, gave the 
official designation of the river as "The Chemung." Before 
this it had been called "The Tioga River." 

^^Judge Baker was a conspicuous citizen of the county in 
those early days, active, and enterprising. He came to the 
locality in 1798. He, through his son-in-law, Richard A. 
Baker, who was a prominent politician in his day, left many 



2a A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

that the bill had passed; there was great rejoicing 
all through the region that the canal traversed. 
Work was begun in 1830,. with impressive cere- 
monies, Col. John Hendy throwing up the first 
spadeful of earth; and when it was completed in 
1832, a similar, if not wilder, celebration was in- 
dulged in; in which appeared a barge; loaded down 
to suffocation; drawn by four horses, and profusely 
decorated with American flags; with the same Col. 
John Hendy standing proudly at the prow "sail- 
ing up" the stream as far as Millport.' Not a ves- 
tige of this public work now remains. 

Stage-coaching days, — Stage-coaching in the val- 
ley during the last three decades of the half century 
was an important and rather picturesque interest. 
There were lines established from Elmira to the 
head of Seneca Lake, down the river to Owego; 
Binghamton, and Wilkesbarre, south to Williams- 
port, Pa.; and up the river to Corning and Bath. 
Handsome Concord coaches; drawn by well-kept 
four-horse teams, were used and they enlivened the 
landscape as they moved on, with pleasant effect. 
The first coach ever run in the valley was to "Cath- 

descendants who became some of the best-known citizens 
of the county. 

"This little village, originally "Millvale," became of much 
note by reason of its abundance of water-power. It is near 
the summit of the streams, one flowing south, toward the 
Chemung River, and the other north into Seneca Lake. It 
speedily had numerous sawmills in operation, and a number 
of boat-building yards. The first two boats were built by 
John Jackson, a lively citizen of Horseheads, and were 
named by him General Sullivan and Lady Sullivan. They 
were launched on the Fourth of July of the year subsequent 
to tbe opening of the canal 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. ^ 

erine's Landing/'" at the head of Seneca Lake. It 
was run by John Davis, whose inn at the corner of 
what is now Lake and East Water Streets, in Elmiraj 
"The Black Horse Tavern," was for many years 
the most conspicuous spot in the valley, the place 
for all public gatherings of every kind that were 
held.^^ 

The Erie Railway, — On April 21, 1825; an act 
was passed by the Legislature ordering a survey to 
be made through the southern tier of New York 
to discover a route for a railroad, and the line now 
in operation and existence was declared to be im- 
practicable! 

Nevertheless, seven years later; on April 24, 1832; 
the organization of the -'New York and Erie Rail- 
road Company" was authorized by the Legislature; 
realizing the hopes and expectations of every citi- 
zen of the county to get into complete, easy; and 
close communication with the whole world. 

The road was completed to Elmira in the fall of 
1849.» 

On April 21; 1832; the Legislature authorized the 

^°This little place, not now in Chemung County, got its 
original name from the fact there was located there an Indian 
village owned by "Catherine Montour," the half-breed wife 
of a Seneca Chief. 

'^Those who controlled these eariy lines of travel were 
J. Davis Baldwin, Sly, and McGrath, and Cooley and Max- 
well, all public-spirited and active citizens. 

"The first Superintendent of the division of the road in 
which Chemung County is situated was William E. Rutter, 
an experienced railroad man who came from Providence, 
R. I. His eldest son, James H. Rutter, became the Presi- 
dent of the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad. 
Another Superintendent of the division in later years was 
H. D. V. Pratt, who achieved high distinction as a railroad 
man, becoming the General Superintendeut pf the road. 



24 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

construction of a railroad from Elmira to Williams- 
port; Pa.; but advantage was not taken of its pro- 
visions imtil twenty years later. 

On May 14, 1845; the Chemung Railroad Company 
was incorporated. Its line was from Elmira to 
Seneca Lake. The Erie road used it to make con- 
nections; by means of the Lake ^j at Geneva, with 
the raih-oad already established there. 

Commercial enterprises. — The building of the 
canal had given a powerful impulse to the business 
of the county. Every town had felt it. 2* The 
chief product of the county was lumber, of which 
the white pine, in width and quality, has never 
been equalled in the markets of the country. There 
were sawmills established in every comer and mil- 
lions of feet found an easy market,; by means of 
the canal. 2 5 

"It was an era in steamboating on the interior lakes of 
the State. The Ben Loder, named for the President of the 
Erie road, in size and equipment would compare favorably 
with the best boats anywnere. It was long remembered 
in the locality with satisfaction and pride. Nothing equal- 
ing it has since been seen there. 

'*The town of Horseheads perhaps had felt it the most. 
In three years it nearly doubled in population. It seemed 
to be the most important village on the canal, being at the 
junction of the "feeder'* to the canal, coming from the 
upper waters of the river near Corning. The tolls were col- 
lected there and the office for their collection was maintained 
there for forty-three years. Thomas Maxwell was the first 
collector. Soon after the opening of the canal, on May 15, 
1837, the village was incorporated as "Fairport." It was 
well enough for it was very fair and a sure enough *'port," 
if an inland one. But the people wouldn't have it. They 
stood it for eight years, but with much discontent and grum- 
bling, and on April 8, 1845, they were glad to get back to the 
honest, descriptive old Saxon "Horseheads." It is likely 
it will ever remain so. 

"In the town of Southport, advantage being taken of 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 25 

A large number of persons engaged in the lumber 
traffic came to the county very soon after the open- 
ing of the canal. 2 (i 

There were many woolen mills scattered through 
the county. The first one was established in the 
town of Southport by Silas Billings, in 1820. An- 
other one, and the largest in the county, was 
built in 1842, on Newtown Creek, at the foot of 
East Hill, Elmira, by Daniel and Ransom Pratt, 
brothers. 2 7 

The purely mercantile men who were attracted 
to the county during this period by its growing 

Seely and South Creeks, from 1840 to 1844, there were 
eighteen sawmills in operation. "Pine City," in the tov/nship 
originally "Pine Woods," a little hamlet, owes its name to 
its chief product. Charles Atkins, a cooper by trade, the 
first settler there, came in 1830. Pine Valley, in Veteran 
Township, where the supply of white pine was also large, 
gets its name from the same source. 

2 6Among those deserving to be remembered were the follow- 
ing-named, who attained high positions in the business world 
of the county, and occupied conspicuous positions in other 
lines than that in whicn they were particularly engaged. 
Samuel B. Strang, Benjamin A. Towner, Asapn Cclburn, 
Lyman Gibson, William S. Hatch, Henry M. Partridge, 
Bradley Griffin, J. C. Sampson, Hiram Crane, W. E. Judson, 
Aaron F. Potter, William L. Gibson, Andrus and Langdon, 
Richmond Jones, Ward Jones, James Fairman, Henry C. 
Spaulding, William Halliday, William Birdsall, and the 
four Fitch Brothers, D. H., 0. N., John S., and Lewis. Some 
of these, after the supply of lumber was exhausted, sought 
other fields and pastures new, but most of them engaged in 
other pursuits in the city. 

27Daniel and Ransom Pratt were Scotchmen. They tried 
the neighborhood of the upper part of the county, but came 
to the spot they had selected in the year named. The 
water-power furnished by Newtown Creek was fine. They 
were the first to introduce into the county the power loom 
and wool-condensing machines. They were very success- 
ful in their undertakings, and in time founded the Secoiid 
National Bank in Elmira. 



26 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

importance, were numerous. Many of their " stores " 
seemed to be the originals of what are now called 
''department stores," for they carried in stock 
about everything from kid gloves to grindstones. ^s 
Circulating medium. — Business, as it was in- 
creasing, called for some circulating medium. 
Much, if not all, of the traffic v/as carried on by 
barter, a system that at the time was taught in the 
district schools, very much to the annoyance, if 
not displeasure, of the children. The products of 
the soil were valuable and plentiful, but men needed 
something besides a wagon load of wheat or a bin 
of oats with which to pay their debts. This need 
gave rise to the incorporation of the Chemung 

28lt is a long list, for they were many, and going over it 
is like striking the chords of a harp that has long been mute. 
There is not in all the county a single name left of all those 
that made up the business community in the first half of 
last century. Here they are, and every one of them has an 
interest for some one who will recall them with pleasure 
and often with affection: David H. Tuthill, Benjamin C. 
Wickham, Matthew McReynolds, Joseph Dumars, S. S. 
^uce, S. B. Hubbell, J. M. Robinson, Robert and Edward 
Co veil, Miles Co veil, William Viall, Norris North, E. L. 
Skinner, Green M. Tuthill, Timothy Satterlee, William Fos- 
ter, George Kingsbury, John Selover, R. F. Seabury, James 
Reeves, John Parmenter, D. A. Towner, Brinton Paine, 
Solomon L. Gillett, William Hoffman, Wakem.an Merwin, 
Riggs Watrous, G. A. Gridley, S. S. Hamlin, R. C. Rice, 
J. K. Perry, John Hill, David Bulmer, John N. Elmore, 
T. O. Elmore, William P. Yates, Samuel Hall, Samuel Part- 
ridge, William Ogden, Tracy Beadle, Simeon Benjamin, 
Anson C. Ely, Francis Hall, Christopher Preswick, A. Z. 
Sickles, James T. Dudley, Stephen Hill, Erastus Hill, Henry 
Wilson, Edward Maxwell, William E. Hart, Seth Kelly, 
Elijah Jones, Noah Robinson, H. M. Seward, Fox Holden, 
E. P. Hutchinson, H. D. Treadwell, Stephen McDonald, 
John R. Jones, the Hanfords (boot and shoe men), Piatt 
Cole, F. A. Scribner, E. S. Palmer, Thomas S. Pattinson, 
George Pattinson, Ephraim P. Davenport, William McClure, 
Christian Smith. _^ 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 27 

Canal Bank. 2' Its first president was John G. 
McDowell, ^0 and its first cashier, William Max- 
well.^' In 1842 the bank came under the control 
of John Arnot3 2 and so remained for many years. 

The Bank of Chemung was organized in 1849. 
Its first president was Simeon Benjamin, and its 
first cashier, Tracy Beadle.^ ^ 

29lts charter was obtained on April 9, 1833. Subscrip- 
tions were asked for the stock, and although only $200,000 
was required, there were received offers that amounted to 
SI, 434,450. For more than seventy years it stood a finan- 
cial rock upon which the whole neighborhood rested in 
security and content. 

3oJudge John G. McDowell was one of the most remark- 
able men produced in the county. He was the son of Daniel 
McDowell, one of the first settlers of the valley, and was 
born in 1794, in Chemung Township. He took a large part 
in the War of 1812, and was an intimate personal friend of 
all the eminent men of his day. He was a member of Assem- 
bly for one term, State Senator, and one of the old Commis- 
sioners of Loans. He was a presidential elector in 1852, 
voting for the successful candidate. It was his last appear- 
ance in public life. Descendants of his are yet among the 
most highly-esteemed citizens of the county. 

31 William Maxwell was a son of Guy Maxwell, who came 
early to the valley, and in his time occupied a very high posi- 
tion in all the affairs of the county. He was State Senator 
for one term. Some of the blood of the Maxwells remain 
in the valley, but not more than one or two of the name. 

32J0HN Arnot stands alone in the annals of the county, a 
colossal figure of business and finance. He was a Scotch- 
man, born at Perthshire in 1789. He came to the valley 
in 1819, on a mercantile venture, and remained there. From 
that time all his life was passed there. All his enterprises 
were successful, and he amassed a fortune of great magni- 
t ide, which he dispensed with rare judgment and generosity. 
His wife was the granddaughter of Matthias Hollenbeck. 
He died in 1873. But one life remains to perpetuate his 
name, and when that is gone it will become only a memory. 

33S1MEON Benjamin came to Elmira from Long Island in 
1833. He was at the time possessed of considerable wealth 
and for many years after his settlement in Elmira was 
esteemed the richest man there. He had great business 
capacity and largely "increased his store." He was also a 



28 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

Matters pertaining to religion. — The Presbyterian 
Church in Elmira, the ''old Mother Church" as it 
has been called, of the county in the early part of 
the century, was in charge of the Rev. Simeon Jones, 
who came to the county from New Jersey in 1804. 
He was also a school teacher and united the tv/o 
professions in one. 34 There is a long list of eminent 
clergymen who faithfully served this First Church. 3 s 

The first feeble beginnings of a Presbyterian 
Church v/ere made in Southport in 1820. In 
Horseheads the first Presbyterian Church of the 
town was organized on February 8, 1832. It was 
effected under the charge of the Revs. Ethan Pratt, 
M. L. Farnsworth, and Elder John McConnell. 
The first church edifice was erected in 1832. In 

generous and liberal man, making the Elmira College for 
Women possible by his large gifts to it in the early days of 
its existence. 

Tracy Beadle was a druggist, coming to Elmira from 
Cooperstown, N. Y., in 1835. With everything that the words 
imply he was indeed, always one of the leading citizens of 
the valley, meriting the title "A Christian Gentleman." 

34The Rev. Simeon Jones was followed into the valley by 
three brothers. Joel was a tailor, who settled in Southport. 
Elijah was a jeweler, who, however, became an innkeeper 
and for many years was in charge of the "Mansion House" 
in Elmira, and made it a well-known hostelry all over that 
portion of the State. Philo settled in 1817 in the town of 
Southport, and became one of its best-known and popular 
citizens. For seventeen years he was the proprietor of a 
hotel in the locality where he had settled. He built mills 
and further improved the country thereabouts, and served 
one term as Member of Assembly. A son of his, Finla M. 
Jones, served as postmaster at the little hamlet where he 
lived, for twenty-seven years. 

J 5 Among those well remembered are Dr. Philomon H. 
Fowler, who served eleven years, and was at one time the 
Moderator of the General Assembly, and Dr. David Murdoch, 
a Scotchman, strong, hearty, and patient. One cf his sons, 
John Murdoch, became one of the most distinguished mem- 
bers of the Chemung County Bar. 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 29 

Big Flats the first Presbyterian Church was organ- 
ized in 1825, with Nathan Reynolds, Charles Fry, 
and Joseph Pound as deacons. In 1829 an edifice 
was built. Its first settled pastor was the Rev. 
S. Harmon. In Veteran, at the village of Millport, 
a church was organized in 1836, Myron Collins 
and Jervis Langdon^* being active in the under- 
taking. The Rev. H. L. Jackson was the first pas- 
tor. By the removal of many prominent families 
the society became disorganized and its church 
became the property of the Baptists. In Erin a 
Presbyterian Church was erected in 1836, but after 
a few years the society disbanded. 

From early in the century there had been occa- 
sionally a Methodist minister who, riding his cir- 
cuit, had found the little spot on the Chemung and 
had ministered as he was able to those of his faith. 
It was not, however, until 1812 that the town was 
regularly included in a Methodist circuit. The 
first class was organized in 1819, and the first class 
leader was Isaac Roe.^^ The first Sunday-school 

36JERVIS Langdon was one of the most prominent and 
highly thought of citizens of the county. He attained a 
very high position in the business world of the county. 
Almost his first business adventure was made in Millport, 
where he came in 1838, when less than thirty years of age. 
The place was small, but there was great activity there on 
account of the recent opening of the Chemung Canal. It 
may be remembered that it aspired to be the rival of Elmira 
in business importance and population. Myron Collins, 
spoken of, was Mr. Langdon's partner. Mr. Langdon came 
to Elmira in 1845, and ever after, until his death, resided 
there. He achieved a great success in the coal trade, being 
the first one to introduce anthracite in the Western country. 
One of his daughters became the wife of S. L. Clemens (Mark 
Twain). 

3?IsAAC Roe came to the valley in 1817. His wife was a 
Drake, of the same family as the famous Sir Francis Drake. 



30 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

bf the church was organized in 1825; and the first 
church building was erected in 1832.3 8 Many emi- 
nent men of the church in their turn had charge 
of this society during the first half of the century, 
and under their ministrations it prospered to a 
great degree. ^^ 

He was a tanner and shoemaker by trade. A son of his, 
Francis A., was an officer in the American navy, and rose 
to the rank of Rear-Admiral. He died in January, 1902. 

A strong member of this church in those early days was 
John Hughes, an Irish Catholic, and one of the Irish "1798 
patriots." He came to Newtown in 1803, and became a 
Methodist. He was, without doubt, the first Irishman to 
settle in the valley. He did so much for the church that 
he was affectionately called and remembered as "Father 
Hughes." One of his sons, George, born in Newtown, was 
an officer in the United States Army, and made a gallant 
record in the Mexican War. Another son, Aaron Konkle, 
named for his uncle, the son of John Konkle, was an officer 
in the United States Navy, served in the Civil War, and 
became a Rear-Admiral. 

38A pathetic incident connected with the building of the 
church has a melancholy interest in the annals of the Society. 
John Kline, a son of Isaac Roe, mentioned, was preparing 
himself for the ministry. He fell sick at the institution 
where he was studying, and died. He was brought home 
to Elmira to be buried, and the funeral services were held 
in the yet unfinished church. They were the first services 
of any kind held in the building, and a carpenter's bench 
was used for a pulpit and a bier. The circumstance had an 
impressive effect, and a revival followed that gave a great 
impetus toward the upbuilding of the church. 

A well-remembered member of the church, Elias S. Hunt- 
ley, who came to Elmira in 1828, made a remarkable record 
in the service of the church. For sixty-four years he was 
a class leader, and for nineteen years the Sunday-School 
superintendent. 

39Some of these deserve to be recalled. The Rev. John 
N. Maffit, a famous evangelist, made a number of visits, and 
his revivals were very greatly blessed. In the year 1823 
came to the church the Rev. Edmund O'Flyng, a peculiar 
man, full of eccentric actions and speeches. The raftsmen 
of the period might be called picturesque in their profanity. 
Once one of these vessels on which he was riding somewhat 
for pleasure, more to try and reach the attention of some 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 31 

The Methodist Church in the township of Che- 
mung had its origin in a revival in 1819. There 
was a class of thirty members. The first meeting 
was held in an old log school-house, the first resi- 
dent pastor being the Rev. William H. Pearne. In 
1849 the present church was built and occupied in 
1850. In Horseheads the Methodists depended 
on Elmira for their church privileges, and one was 
not organized there until 1839. John Vaughan 
held meetings at Pine Valley in Veteran Township; 
in 1825; but there was no society organized until 
1858. Local preachers held meetings in the town- 
ship of Erin earlier than 1828, but there was no 
organization until long after. 

Baptists were early in the field. A society was 
formed on May 16, 1829, called the Southport and 
Elmira Baptist Church. In 1831, it was legally 
recognized and became the -'Baptist organization 
of the towns of Southport and Elmira." The early 

of the men, got entangled in a jam. The event unbottled 
the speech of the raftsmen and it flowed out with unusual 
volubility. Mr. O'Flyng v/as greatly disturbed by it, and 
referring to it afterward averred that he thought they were 
all "going to hell by water!" His eccentricities annoyed the 
conference, and once he was given a sharp reprimand by the 
bishop. Nevertheless he was eloquent and popular, and 
retained the charge for four years. In 1834 came to the 
church the Rev. Allen Steele. His son, who became Dr. 
J. Dorman Steele, arose to great distinction as an author of 
school text-books, achieved a national, if not an European, 
reputation, becoming one of the most distinguished scholars 
of his day, in whom and whose memory the country has a 
right to take great pride. 

As showing the method pursued in those old times in 
building churches, it might be stated that on a subscription 
list, still extant, appears not much money but twenty perch 
of stone, value $120, from one; 1,000 feet of lumber from 
another; and from others store goods, $20; blacksmithing, 
$5; hats, $10; teaming, $10. 



32 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

church was indebted to the labors of the Rev. P. D. 
Gillette, who formed other organizations through- 
out the county, and to Jeffery Wisner, who gave the 
plot of ground on which the church was built in 
1830. 

Baptist preachers came to Horseheads as early 
as 1805. In 1827 a church was erected about two 
miles north of the village. About April 22, 1840; 
a church was organized which in the latter part of 
the year united with the Elmira organization and 
was known as ''The Elmira and Fairport Church." 
A church edifice was erected in 1841. In Big Flats 
a church was organized on August 30, 1807. The 
first services were held in a barn, and then in school- 
houses. The Rev. Roswell Goff was the first pas- 
tor. A church edifice was built in 1827, and occu- 
pied in January, 1828. The Ridge Free Baptist 
church was organized in Veteran, November 19; 
1836. The first pastor was the Rev. Samuel Dean. 

The beginnings of the Episcopal Church were 
made in 1833, a clergyman coming to the village 
of Elmira and holding services in a school-house.*" 

*oAmong its rectors were the Rev. Andrew Hull, who 
served as such seventeen years; the Rev. B. W. Whitcher, 
whose wife wrote the celebrated "Widow Bedott Papers," 
and the Rev. William Paret, who became the Bishop of 
Maryland. One of the characters of the early times who 
had much to do in organizing the church, was "Aunty Hill," 
a Protestant Irish woman, who kept a garden in the western 
part of the village. She herself went to Trinity Church, 
New York City, and secured a contribution sufficient to 
justify the beginning in 1840 of the Trinity Church. Hervey 
Luce was a very active man in organizing the church. He 
was a hatter. He served as Senior Warden for many years. 
His son-in-law, the Hon. William T. Post, became a promi- 
nent man. He served one term as Member of Assembly 
and was postmaster of the village of Elmira four years. 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 23 

The Church was regularly organized on March 31? 
1834. 

St. Paul's Episcopal Church was organized in 
Big Flats in 1830, and an edifice erected in 1834. 
The first rector was the Rev. E. T. Gilbert. The 
church became partially disorganized in 1843, ser- 
vices being held occasionally by rectors from Com- 
ing and Elmira.*» 

During the time of the construction of the canal 
a number of those connected with and attached to 
the Roman Catholic faith came into the valley, 
many taking up their residences and making their 
homes in the county. These were ministered to 
by priests from other places. In 1848 was begun 
a small but convenient wooden chapel where now 
stands the church of SS. Peter and Paul, at High 
and Market Streets, Elmira. Father Sheridan was 
the first resident pastor. 

Burial places. — Very early in the century the 
subject of locations where the dead could be laid 
away called for attention. On many of the farms 
throughout the county are still to be seen by the 
roadside or under the trees some distance there- 
from; well kept always and surrounded by white 
palings; small plots of ground in which are stand- 
ing headstones bearing dates very early in the last 
century as well as more recent ones. Whether or 
not any of the families of the early settlers occupy 
the lands about, it is not at all likely that these 
sacred spots will ever be disturbed. 

*iThe Tuttle family was largely interested in this church, 
one of its members, the Rev. Daniel S. Tuttle, becoming the 
Bishop of Missouri and the presiding bishop of his church. 



'34 A BRIEF HISTORY 01^ 

The first public cemetery was located nearly at 
the comer of what is now East Water and Sullivan 
Streets; in Elmira. Long since; every vestige of 
the existence of such a spot there disappeared, and 
it is said that the bodies were never removed there- 
from. Very recently, in excavating for the founda- 
tions of a large manufacturing establishment, the 
location of this ancient burying-ground was dis- 
covered. In 1802 Jeffrey Wisner gave the land 
for a cemetery where Wisner Park is now located, 
on Main Street, in Elmira. In 1838 the Second 
Street cemetery was opened, and that is now occa- 
sionally used. 

Big Flats also early provided for a public burial- 
ground. In 1809 a plot of land was set apart for 
the purpose. The first burials therein were Amos 
Rowley, who died on June 5, 1809, and Robert 
Miller, who died on July 14, 1809. 

Public houses and halls. — Tradition; with little of 
memory or record to sustain it, is always busy with 
the public houses of any locality. For many rea- 
sons they are the most prominent spots in any town; 
new or old, and what they are is often taken to be 
what the town itself is. Away down on Water 
Street; in Elmira, was located the first public house 
or tavern in the county. No one knows the exact 
spot upon which it stood. Not a vestige of it 
remains. Then there were the -'Kline House" 
and "The Black Horse Tavern," already spoken of. 
The two Mansion Houses, at different times and in 
different locations, and the "Elmira Hotel,"*^ built 

^^Among the landlords controlling the destinies of this 
hostelry was Henry Potter, who came from Rensaalaer 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 35 

on the banks of the canal soon after its completion. 
There was the old -'Eagle Tavern," which burned 
in 1849, and was succeeded by the I'Brainard/' The 
inns contained the halls used for balls and for 
entertainments, theatrical and musical. There were 
other halls, ''Temperance Hall," -'Mechanics Hall/' 
Pattinson*3 Hall, and Concert Hall. 

Determining more geographical divisions. — There 
was much shifting and changing as regards the town- 
ships in the early part of the century. On April 
6, 1808, a portion v/as taken from Chemung Town- 
ship; made into another township, and called 
Elmira.4 4 The name applied to the township, not 
to the village which remained Newtown until April 
21; 1828; when it, too, became Elmira. Another 
township called Erin was sliced away from Che- 
mung Township on March 29, 1822. The first 

County, N. Y. He held the place from 1839 to 1848. He 
held a number of offices both in civil and military life. His 
oldest son was William C. Potter, who possessed many 
extraordinary qualities, chief of which was his talent for 
painting. Some of his portraits possessed great merit. He 
died at the early age of thirty-four, having hardly begun his 
life. 

43ln the hall of the Elmira house mentioned was given 
the first dramatic representation ever undertaken in the 
valley, the company being that of Gilbert and Trobridge. 
The Gilbert was John Gilbert, who afterward attained great 
distinction in his profession. 

The Pattinson brothers, Thomas and George, were mer- 
chants. They were descended from the famous George 
Stevenson, who invented the locomotive. 

**The name is said to be derived from the Spanish, El Mira, 
"the view," or "the fine view." It was brought into the 
language by one of the early English novelists of the 18th 
century. It was the name of a daughter of Nathan Teall, 
who kept the tavern where Judge Coryell, the Member of 
Assembly, always stopped, and he was very fond of the 
child. 



86 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

town meeting was held in May at the house of John 
Bandfield.*' In April of the same year the town- 
ship of Elmira suffered two losses. A strip on the 
north became the township of Big Flats, and on 
the south the township of Southport.*^ Still further, 
on April 16, 1823, two more townships were formed 
from the southern end of Catherine, Veteran on the 
east half and Catlin on the west half. Veteran was 
named in honor of a revolutionary soldier, Green 
Bentley, and Catlin from Phineas Catlin, an active, 
energetic man, a farmer with some knowledge of 
surveying.*' The northern half of Catlin was, on April 
17, 1835, taken to form another township named 
Dix, after Gen. John A. Dix. And then the divid- 
ing, for the time being, ceased. 

Another Court House. — In 1824 the new Court 
House was built on Lake Street in Elmira to take 

4 5 One of the strong names of the county. This one men- 
tioned was at one time Member of Assembly. 

4''Its first town meeting was held on May 14, 1822. Solo- 
mon L. Smith was the first Supervisor, and he served in that 
capacity for five years, John Wormly was an early settler 
in the township and was active in its affairs. By his efforts 
the first school-house was erected there in in 1838. 

4 'What was left of the Township of Catherine is now in 
Schuyler County. The village of Millport is in the Township 
of Veteran. It grew very rapidly on the completion of 
the Chemung Canal. A. F. Babcock, a stirring politician of 
the county, was a merchant there many years, and became 
County Clerk. The county is also indebted to the township 
and village for the Hon. Gabriel L. Smith, v/ho at first prac- 
ticed law in Millport with Judge Theodore North as partner, 
for five years, and then came to Elmira. He was a promi- 
nent oflScer in the Civil War, and became County Judge. 
He celebrated the sixtieth anniversary of his wedding day on 
November 7, 1904, and died two years later at the advanced 
age of 84 years. The county and State are also indebted to 
this township for another able lawyer, the Hon. Sylvester S. 
Taylor, who was District-Attorney of the County, County 
Judge, and an Assistant Attorney-General of the State. 



CHEMUNG COUNTY. N. Y. 37 

the place of the old one on Sullivan Street. It was 
esteemed quite a pretentious building and com- 
manded the admiration of all. It served its pur- 
pose for almost forty years. 

At last, the new county. — All this was looking 
toward an important and distinctive event; the 
formation of the county of Chemung. This was 
accomplished by act of the Legislature of March 
29, 1836. It comprised the following-named town- 
ships: Chemung, Elmira, Big Flats, Erin, South- 
port, Catlin, Veteran, Catherine, Ca5aita, and Dix.^s 
The first Assemblyman for the county was Jacob 
Westlake, of Horseheads; the first District- Attor- 
ney, Andrew K. Gregg; the first County Judge, 
Joseph L. Darling; the first County Clerk, Isaac 
Baldwin; the first Sheriff, A. A. Becknith. Hiram 
Gray* 9 was the first Congressman taken from the 
county. The population of the new county was 
17,465. 

48The three last named are now a part of Schuyler County 
and form no part of this story. 

The first Supervisors of the county were: Big Flats, 
Samuel Minier; Catlin, Timothy Wheat; Cayuta, Jacob 
Swartwood; Catherine, John G. Henry; Chemung, Isaac 
Shepherd; Dix, Green Bennett; Elmira, John W, Wisner; 
Erin, Robert Stewart; Southport, Albert A. Beckwith; Vet- 
eran, Asahel Hulett. 

49H1RAM Gray was doubtless the most eminent jurist ever 
produced by the county. He came to Elmira in 1825, from 
Washington County, N. Y., and remained one of the fore- 
most citizens of the valley for more than sixty years. He 
held many official positions in the county, city, and State, 
serving a term in the Supreme Court of the district, and on 
the Commission of Appeals of the State. He died in 1860. 

This period developed in the county many lawyers of 
ability and learning, enjoying, as they had earned, a State 
reputation. Some of these not elsewhere mentioned were: 
Theodore North, Jr., Elijah P. Brooks, Erastus P. Hart, 



38 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

The river. — The river was always, in these early 
days, the most attractive, interesting and valuable 
portion of the valley. On its swollen waters in the 
spring and fall were borne the rafts and arks that 
bore the lumber and produce of the locality to a 
market at Baltimore, Md. The beauty spot of the 
valley was a large island almost two miles in extent 
that lay just in front of Elmira. It was covered 
with primeval trees, and had a profuse green turf. 
Here it was that picnics assembled and gatherings 
of all sorts celebrated festal days.^^ No effort was 
made to preserve the spot in its pristine loveliness, 
and it is now a mere waste of sand and gravel un- 
comfortable to look at.5> 

One of the earliest thoughts about the river was 
how to get over on the other side. Steps were be- 
gun in 1817 to build a bridge at Elmira, but the 
effort had no fruition until seven years later, and 
it was not until 1824 that the first bridge was thrown 
over the stream at Elmira. The second one was 
built the next year, near the village of Chemung. 

Solomon B. Tomlinson, E. H. Benn, James L. Woods, John 
W. Wisner, William H. Patterson, James Dunn, Peter Van 
Der Lyn, Ariel S. Thurston, Thomas G. Spaulding, who 
served as County Judge for ten years, Edward Quinn, James 
A. Christie, H. Boardman Smith, Archibald Robertson, 
Aaron Konkle, Newton P. Fassett. 

soAnson C. Ely, one of the most active merchants of the 
time, offered to contribute $10,000 toward the preservation 
of the spot, but there were no other persons found to second 
him in his endeavor. 

5 'As showing the large amount of trade carried on on the 
river, it may be stated, as a matter of record, that in the 
spring of 1829 there were sent down nineteen arks loaded 
with wheat, carrying 1,800 bushels each, in all 35,000 bushels, 
and that representing only one interest. It seems small 
figures now, but then! 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 39 

The next thought was to make the current use- 
ful for driving mills in the building of dams. It 
was a curious idea the public had in opposing such 
projects on the ground that it ''obstructed naviga- 
tion." Nevertheless, on January 27, 1824, Isaac 
Baldwins^ was given authority by the Legislature 
to construct a dam opposite the foot of what is now 
College Avenue. It was not, however, completed 
until 1828.5^ Two years before, in 1826, Asa and 
Isaac Parshall had constructed a dam just below 
the village of Chemung. It was the first one built 
in the valley. Another one was built in 1827, 
at Big Flats, by David Reynolds, near his own 
land. 

Strong organizations. — An organization called the 
**Elmira Mechanics' Society," extraordinary because 
of its methods and its vitality, was formed in 1834, 
and was regularly incorporated on May 26, 1836. 
It was somewhat after the order of the present day 
''Building Associations." There were fifty mem- 

52lsAAc Baldwin was easily one of the first men in the val- 
ley all through this period. He was a member of a large 
and active family that did very much to improve the valley 
and the county. His home, standing where the Rathbun 
House is now located, was one of the most notable residences 
in the county, his farm extending far to the north. His 
name, attached to the street that was a road through his 
fields, vividly recalls his memory. 

Another one of the family was a distinct character by 
himself. Waterman Baldwin. He was one of Washington's 
most trusted scouts, a great hunter and Indian fighter. He 
had a favorite and famous horse v/hich he named "Roanoke," 
and for whose use Washington gave a silver mounted saddle. 
Once each year, and until Washington died, Waterman 
dined with the General at Mount Vernon. 

5^In the spring following the construction of this work 
occurred the most destructive ice freshet ever known in the 
valley. It swept away the dam and covered the fields for 



40 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

bers, almost entirely made up of carpenters, saddle 
and harnessmakers, tailors,'* hatters, blacksmiths, 
and members of other callings and trades. The 
society built, in 1840, the first public hall in the 
valley, and established therein the first public 
library. It was a large wooden building. It 
burned in 1866, and was never rebuilt.'* 

Medical. — The Chemung County Medical Society 
was organized on May 3, 1836. Its first president 
was Dr. Leonard Hudson. Dr. Nathaniel Aspin- 

miles about with huge cakes of ice, remnants of which were 
to be seen in retired spots for months. Numbers felt that 
it was a judgment on the builders for "obstructing navi- 
gation." 

54lts first officers were: Charles Orwan, a gunsmith, 
president; Abram Riker, a carpenter, vice-president; Ran- 
som Birdsall, a printer, secretary; Francis Collingwood, a 
jeweler, treasurer. Some of the Society's officers made 
remarkable records. John C. Roe, a tailor, was a director 
for thirty-three years. Josiah Bartholomew, a carpenter, 
served as president twenty-one years. James S. French 
served as treasurer for twenty-two years, dying on May 4, 
1881, long past his eightieth year. 

5sThe strength of a community lies in its workingmen, 
the producers, and as such the names of those who contrib- 
uted^ in large measure during this period toward the up- 
building of the valley, deserve to be recalled. Here are 
some: Abram Riker, a carpenter and the largest building 
contractor in the county. He acquired much wealth. He 
gave the land on which the first Methodist Church was built. 
He was of the family of the famous Recorder Riker, of New 
York City. Samuel Jones, Robert F, Hylen, Joseph P. 
Burt, Josiah Dunham, David Wightman, Jabez Beers, all 
carpenters, William Williams, a tanner, Job A. Smith, prin- 
ter, Daniel Stephens, blacksmith, Archibald Heggie, hatter, 
Francis Smith, saddler, and harnessmaker, Peter Ten 
Broeck, a wagonmaker, Robert Hill, also a wagonmaker, 
R. K. Wallace, painter, P. A. La France and Washington 
Marsh, also painters, Norris North, tinner, Ephraim P. 
Davenport, tinner, D. S. Hamilton, jeweler, W. B. Berry, 
shoemaker, Seth Kelly, baker. 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 41 

wall was its second president, and then'* came Dr. 
Erastus L. Hart. 5' 

Looking out for fires. — The protection provided 
against fires was in all hamlets and villages very 
meager and primitive. They had "bucket brig- 
ades," every householder being obliged by law to 
have on his premises a vessel long and slender 
made of leather. When there was a fire two lines 
were formed from the source of supply of water to 
the flames. One line passed the full buckets along 
to the fire, and the other line passed the empty 
buckets to the water. In 1830, Miles Covell, John 
Arnot, and Abram Riker were made "fire wardens" 
of the village of Newtown, and soon after a number 
of the most prominent citizens were named as 
"firemen of the village." In May, 1834, a fire- 
engine of a very primitive pattern, called "Old 
Goose Neck," was purchased, and a company 
formed to man it. It was known as "Torrent Fire 
Company, No. 1." A Hook and Ladder Company 
was organized in 1844, and Fire Company No. 2, 
called the "Neptune Company," was formed the 

56The medical faculty in the county has long stood very 
high in the profession, not only in the county, but through- 
out the State. Among those very useful at this period were 
Dr. Theseus Brooks, Dr. John Payne, Dr. P. P. Concklin, 
Dr. Jotham Purdy, Dr. HoUis S. Chubbuck, Dr Nelson 
Winton, Dr. William Woodward, Dr. Uriah Smith, Dr. 
D. A. Towner, Dr. Elias Satterlee, Dr. Rulandus Bancroft, 
Dr. Nathan Boynton. 

"Dr. Hart was probably the most highly thought of phy- 
sician of his time in the valley. He came to Elmira from 
Connecticut in 1823. He was very public-spirited and 
especially interested in educational matters. His son, 
William E. Hart, was one of the most enterprising merchants 
in Elmira for many years, and another son, Erastus P. Hart, 
became a lawyer of large practice and great distinction. 



42 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

same year. *'Fire Company No. 3," known as the 
Red Rover Company, was organized on August 21, 
1848. Its first foreman was John I. Nicks. ^^ These 
companies formed the i'Elmira Volunteer Fire 
Department." Silas Haight^' was the first Chief 
Engineer of the Fire Department. 

How the county got its news. — The county was 
always well provided with newspapers. The first 
one printed within its borders was called The Tele- 
graph, and published in 1815 by Prindle and Murphy. 
Its name was changed to the Vidette. It struggled 
along with such a name until 1816, one year, and 
then gave it up. In 1820 the Elmira Weekly 
Republican was started, but its name was changed 
in 1828 to the Elmira Whig, and in 1829 it was 
called the Elmira Republican and Canal Advertiser, 
The Elmira Gazette was first started in 1820 by 
Job A. Smith, a member of a numerous family, and 
he called it The Investigator. After two years he 
changed the name to the Tioga Register; and in 
1828 to the Elmira Gazette. It still exists under 

ssMr. Nicks came to Newtown from Dutchess County, 
N. Y., in 1847. He was a tobacconist by trade. He became 
one of the most enterprising and popular citizens of the 
county, known far and wide as a generous, hearty man. 
He was very prominent during the Civil War. He served 
as Alderman a number of years, was Mayor of the city, State 
Senator, and an Internal Revenue Assessor. 

"Mr. Haight was one of the early merchants of the valley. 
He came to Elmira in 1836. He subsequently became an 
innkeeper, having in his charge the old "Mansion House," 
on Lake Street, the old *' Eagle Tavern," and then back to 
the same location on Lake Street he had occupied, where he 
built an inn called "Haight's Hotel," a famous hostelry 
with a State-wide reputation. In his capacity as landlord 
for which he was especially fitted, he won and kept the 
regard of all the citizens of the county. 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 43 

that name, having passed a long career of honor 
and prosperity. The Chemung Democrat was started 
in 1847. In 1831 there were two pecuHar journals 
published in the county. The Fort Henderson 
Meddler, issued only semi-occasionally, was the 
work of two young lawyers, their personality long 
unknown, who stirred up the community with ac- 
counts of all the gossip and scandals going. Very 
yellow copies of this journal are still in existence. 
In the same year, J. Taylor Bradt published in 
Horseheads a newspaper which he called the Che- 
mung County Patriot and Central Advocate. It was 
established to advocate the making of Horseheads 
the county seat of the new county that was con- 
templated. The project failed, but if the smart 
town did not become the geographical capital it 
has become the political capital of the county; all 
the conventions of all the parties being always held 
there. A boys' amateur weekly, called The Young 
American, the first effort of the kind in this country^ 
if not in the world; was published in Elmira during 
this period. The first daily published in the county 
was in 1847. It was called The Karlon; and was 
published by literary characters of considerable 
distinction of the time, the Rev. C. C. Burr, his wife 
Celia Burr, and **my brother Heman.*' It had 
"telegraphic news," as the telegraph came into the 
county, the first line built from Ithaca, even before 
the railroad arrived. The newspaper did not last 
long, less than a year. 

Closing the period. — Just as the period of which 
we are writing was closing, as though to make the 



44 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

past more misty, dim, and unreal, and the future 
promise to be brighter and Hghter, illuminating gas 
was introduced into the county at Elmira. A 
company formed in Albany, N. Y., built the works in 
1849, and in the spring of 1850 the business was in 
full operation. 



PART III 



Military Affairs in the County 



And there was mounting in hot haste: the steed, 
The mustering squadron, and the clattering car 
Went pouring forward with impetuous speed, 

And swiftly forming in the ranks of war; 

And the deep thunder peal on peal afar; 
And near, the beat of the alarming drum 

Roused up the soldier. — Childe Harold. 

Their armor rings on a fairer field 

Than Greek or Roman ever trod. 
For Freedom's sword is the blade they wield, 

And the light above them the smile of God. 

— ^Proctor. 



The County During the War. 

Military organizations. — The Chemung valley 
always possessed much military spirit, as was natu- 
rally to be expected of a locality whose history 
begins with a battle. In the old days there were 
no uniformed companies, but men capable of bear- 
ing arms met at certain stated times during the 
year; furnishing their own accoutrements; were 
drilled a little, marched a little; maneuvred their 
guns, and then it all ended with a general jollifica- 
tion. The traditions of these occasions, and in a 
few instances; the memories of these "general train- 
ing days," as they were called, bring up scenes of 
great merriment and amusement. In a few indi- 
vidual cases representatives of the valley were con- 
nected with the War of 1812 with England. About 
1834, a regular company was organized? largely 
through the efforts and activity of General W. R. 
Judson.60 It made its first public parade in 1840 

fioQeneral Judson was very active in other than the mili- 
tary affairs of the county. He was a saddler and harness- 
maker by trade, having been an apprentice of Cooley & 
Maxwell. He came to the valley when a lad, from Otsego 
County, N. Y., in 1812. He was in business for many years 
in Elmira. In the State of Kansas in 1856 he bought a 
large tract of land and founded a town thereupon, which 
he named Elmira. He was an exceedingly enthusiastic 
politician, and held many offices, county, State, and na- 
tional. He became the Colonel of the militia regiment 
assigned to that portion of the State in which the county 
was located. He was the commanding officer of a Kansas 
Regiment of Cavalry during the war, and served with dis- 

47 



48 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

at the funeral of Col. John Hendy.«« It was called 
''The Elmira Guards," and continued in more or 
less active existence nearly twenty years, being 
succeeded in 1858 by ''The Southern Tier Rifles," 
an organization that is still referred to with con- 
siderable pride. Under the command of Capt. 
Henry C. Hoffman, it was most perfectly disciplined, 
and one of the "crack" companies of the State. 

When President Lincoln, on April 15, 1861, issued 
his first call for troops, the appeal reached Elmira 
on the afternoon of that day. A public meeting 
was called for the same evening. It was tumul- 
tuously attended. Most of the members of the 
''Southern Tier Rifles" volunteered at once, and 
the company under the command of Capt. Nat. B. 
Fowler, became Company K of the Twenty- third 
N. Y. Volunteers. It was largely a local regi- 
ment, and the first one organized in the county. 
It was mustered into the service of the United 
States for two years, or unless sooner discharged, 
on May 16, 1861, with 788 officers and men. Its 
officers were: Colonel, Henry C. Hoffman ;6^ lieuten- 

tinction. He was wounded in an engagement at Fort 
Smith, Ark. 

6' Among the members of this first company were N. W. 
Gardiner, a hatter; Joseph Hoffman, a saddler; Henry 
Voorhees, a carpenter; Henry Hill, a merchant; R. B. 
Sharpstein, an innkeeper; William Halliday, a merchant; 
Wakeman Merwin, a saddler and harnessmaker, and Charles 
Orwan, a gunsmith. 

^Colonel Hoffman was one of the many active, energetic, 
and enterprising business men of whose nativity within its 
borders Chemung County has good reason to be proud. 
His father was William Hoffman, a sturdy, long-headed 
man of German descent, who took up a large tract of land 
to the west of Elmira late in the 18th century. He had a 
number of sons who inherited his sterling qualities, and added 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 49 

ant-colonel, Nirom M. Crane; major; William M. 
Gregg; adjutant, William W. Hayt; quartermaster, 
Myron H. Mandeville; surgeon, Seymour Churchill; 
assistant surgeon, William A. Medill; sergeant- 
major, Archibald N. Devoe; quartermaster-sergeant, 
Hiram T. Smith; drum-major, Miles Terrill; fife- 
major, Julius C. Smead. 

The Twenty-third was a faithful, highly popular 
organization, and made an honorable record dur- 
ing its term of service. It was mustered out on 
May 23, 1863. 

On July 30, 1861, Elmira was made one of the 
three military depots of the State, and a military 
rendezvous by the general government." Officers 
of the regular army were sent there on duty." 

In 1863 Elmira was made the headquarters of the 
district as well as for the western division of the 
State, comprising the last eleven congressional dis- 
tricts thereof, for the reception of volunteers and 
drafted men. It was placed in the command of 
Gen. A. S. Diven. 

greatly to the business, social, agricultural, and political 
importance of the county. Colonel Hoffman was a mem- 
ber of the Board of Supervisors of the county three times, 
representing the town of Horseheads and was twice a Mem- 
ber of Assembly for the county. 

63 On the part of the State, the commanding officer of the 
post was Gen. R. B. Van Valkenburg, of Bath. He was 
succeeded by Colonel Eastman, of the tjnited States Army, 
and he by Gen. Benjamin F. Tracy, of the Volunteers. 

64The mustering and disbursing officers of the post of the 
regular army were Gen. W. W. Averill, a West Point graduate, 
who received his early education at the Elmira Academy. 
He became a distinguished cavalry officer during the war. 
He was succeeded by Capt. J. I. Tidball, Major Arthur T. 
Lee, Captain La Rhett L. Livingstone, and Capt. J. Riley 
Reid. 



60 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

The number of military organizations. — From April 
1861, to April 1865, there were twenty-four organi- 
zations belonging to the infantry arm of the service 
mustered in at Elmira, numbering 18,171 officers 
and men. To these are to be added four artillery 
organizations; with 973 officers and men; and six 
cavalry organizations with 1,650 officers and men, 
making a total of 20,796 soldiers forwarded from 
Elmira during the war. There were a number of 
individual instances of men entering the service 
not attached to organizations raised or mustered 
in at Elmira, which would raise the total forwarded 
from that city in round numbers to at least 25,000. 

A complete company was raised in Horseheads 
and was assigned to the Thirty-eighth N. Y. V.; 
as Company I.^^ It was mustered in on June 8, 
1861. Almost every member came from the town 
of Horseheads. Its captain was Calvin S. Dewitt, 
a former member of the Twenty-third Regiment. 
It was in the first battle of Bull Run. 

The Fiftieth Engineers. — Particular interest cen- 
tered about the Fiftieth Engineers, as it was, officers 
and men alike, largely made up of citizens of the 
county and near neighborhood. It was mustered 
into service on September 18, 1861, as -'Stuart's 
Independent Volunteers,'' taking its name from 
Gen. Charles B. Stuart, of Geneva, N. Y. Com- 
panies E and G were largely recruited in Millport 
and vicinity. Their respective captains were: Ira 

6* A curious, although perhaps not unusual, incident is 
connected with the annals of this company. First Sergeant 
William E. Straight was reported dead, and funeral ser- 
vices were held in his honor in Elmira. After some time 
he returned home, having been wounded and taken prisoner. 



CHEMUNG COUNTY. N. Y. 61 

L. Spaulding, and W. W. Personius. The captain 
of Company *'H" was Gen. Edmund 0. Beers." 

The Eighty-sixth Regiment. — In the Eighty-sixth 
regiment, called ''The Steuben Rangers," was one 
company so full of Chemung County men that it 
deserved to be called a "home company." It was 
Company E, of which Thomas F. Shoemaker was 
captain. His first lieutenant was John Gilbert 
Copley, who afterwards became the county clerk 
of Chemung County. In Company F Capt. Henry 
G. narrower, of Big Flats; was the commanding 
officer. 

The surgeon of the Eighty-ninth Regiment was 
Dr. Truman Hoffman Squire.^' 

Capt. William M. Crosby was a teacher in a com- 
mercial college in Elmira. He recruited a company 

66General Beers was the son of Jabez Beers, a carpenter, 
who came to Elmira from Orange County, N. Y., in 1827. 
He was one of thirteen children. He was a member of the 
old "Elmira Guards" in 1847 and until that company dis- 
banded in 1854. In 1857 he joined "The Southern Tier 
Rifles." In the Fiftieth Engineers he rose to the rank of 
Lieutenant-Colonel. After the war he continued his ser- 
vices in various positions in the State militia, and was made 
Brigadier-General of the State forces located in the district 
in which the county is situated. He was an active and 
successful politician and served one term as Sheriff of the 
county. He won the respect, confidence, and even the love 
of his fellow-citizens, by a life of kind-heartedness, probity 
and perfect honesty. 

6'Dr. Squire was one of the most eminent surgeons of the 
county and State. He came to Elmira from Herkimer 
County, N. Y., in 1849. He was promoted to be Division 
Field Surgeon under General Burnside, and the Surgeon- 
General of the Army reported of him that he considered him 
one of the most eflficient surgeons in the Army of the Potomac. 
He wrote admirably on medical subjects for home and for- 
eign publications, and was a member of societies in this 
country and abroad. 



52 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

all from that city, and composed largely of young 
men in attendance upon his school. It was mus- 
tered into service as Company K of the 103d N. Y. V. 
The favorite of all. — The favorite organization of 
all, however, would seem to have been the 107th 
Regiment. It was very quickly recruited, equippedj 
and forwarded to the front. The regimental feel- 
ing is, even now, very strong, and annual meetings 
are held on September 17, the anniversary of the 
battle of Antietam, where the regiment suffered 
severely. The county owes its only monumental 
remembrance of the war to the statue, the figure 
of a soldier in marble and granite, standing in the 
court-house park on Lake Street, in Elmira, which 
was unveiled on September 17, 1882. Many of the 
old Twenty- third joined the ranks of the 107th as 
officers and men. It was mustered into the serv- 
ice on August 13, 1862, with 1,016 members. Its 
officers were: Colonel, Robert B. Van Valkenburgh ; 
lieutenant-colonel, Alexander S. Diven;^^ major, 

68General Diven was, in many ways, one of the most dis- 
tinguished men, if not the most distinguished man, of his 
day in the county. He was the son of John Diven, who 
came into the county from Pennsylvania in 1790. General 
Diven came to Elmira in 1845 as a member of a firm of law- 
yers that became widely known, Diven, Hathaway & 
Woods. He was an intensely public-spirited man, being 
largely interested in the building of the Erie Railroad, the 
Elmira and Williamsport Railroad, and in a great many 
other local enterprises of magnitude and of value and inter- 
est to the county. He was a State Senator and a Member 
of Congress, where he took high rank as an orator and busi- 
ness man. General Diven died in 1905. His eldest son, 
George M. Diven, the dean at present of the Chemung 
County bar in actual practice, was equally public-spirited, 
and conducted successfully a number of local enterprises of 
large importance. He was for many years the President 
of the Elmira Board of Education. 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 53 

Gabriel L. Smith; adjutant, Hull Fan ton; quar- 
termaster, Edward P. Graves; surgeon, Patrick 
H. Flood ;^9 assistant surgeon, James D. Hewitt; 
Chaplain, Ezra F. Crane; sergeant-major, John 
R. Lindsay; quartermaster-sergeant, Lucien B. 
Chidsey; commissary sergeant, Henry Inscho; 
hospital steward, John M. Thro. 

The captain of Company B of this regiment was 
Lathrop Baldwin, Jr.'" 

The regiment made a very brilliant record, par- 
ticipating in some of the bloodiest and most decisive 
engagements of the war. It was with General Sher- 
man on his "March to the Sea," and was mustered 
out of service on June 5, 1865. 

69Dr. Flood was another popular and successful physician 
of Elmira. He came originally from Northampton County, 
Pa., and to Elmira in 1852, at once taking a high position 
in his profession. He was an active and ambitious poli- 
tician, served two terms as Mayor of the City of Elmira, and 
was a member of all the local medical societies. He was the 
Surgeon of the First Division, Twentieth Army Corps, at 
the close of the war. His son, Thomas S. Flood, has been 
Alderman and Mayor of the City of Elmira, and Member 
of Congress, and his youngest son, Henry, was postmaster 
of the city of Elmira. 

7oCaptain Baldwin was a member of the Baldwin family 
that came early into the valley. He was slender and deli- 
cate of figure, with the gentlest of dispositions, but with a 
spirit and force of character that was characteristic of his 
family, and he made a good soldier. He was a son of a sol- 
dier of the War of 1812, and grandson of a soldier of the 
Revolution. His father was deputy sheriff of the county, 
and was the first occupant of the new County Court 
House in 1824. Captain Baldwin was a printer and a news- 
paper man. He was promoted to be Major soon after the 
One Hundred and Seventh reached the field. At the fierce 
battle of Peach Tree Creek, Ga., on June 22, 1864, he was 
mortally wounded, and died the following month. His 
commission as Lieutenant-Colonel, to which office he had 
been promoted, is dated on the day of the battle. The 
first post of the Grand Army of the Republic, and one of 
the first organized of the country, bears his name. 



54 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

The Hist. — The 141st Regiment was also entitled 
to be called a -'home regiment," as it had three 
full companies raised in the county. It followed 
very quickly in the wake of the 107th, being mus- 
tered into the service a month later, in September, 
1862, with 956 officers and men. The two reg- 
ments rivalled each other in local popularity. The 
officers of the 141st were: Colonel, Samuel G. Hatha- 
way;" lieutenant-colonel, James C. Beecher; major, 
John W. Dinniny; adjutant, Henry L. Pierson; 
quartermaster, Silas Haight; surgeon; John W. 
Robinson; assistant surgeon, Orlando S. Green- 
man; chaplain, Thomas K. Beecher; sergeant- 
major, L. A. Hazard; quartermaster-sergeant. Miles 
W. Hanley; hospital steward, Harris Sawyer; prin- 
cipal musician, George Gray.^^ 

"Colonel Hathaway was an exceptional man in physical 
appearance and mental capacity, an unusually fine speaker 
and brilliant lawyer. He came to Elmira in 1835, from 
Cortland County, N. Y,, and was in partnership first with 
Judge James Dunn, and afterward with Judge Hiram Gray. 
He is best remembered, however, as a member of the famous 
firm of Diven, Hathaway & Woods. He was a close politi- 
cal and personal friend of John Van Buren, son of President 
Martin Van Buren. He died in 1864, while in service. 

"Adjutant Pierson was succeeded as soon as the regiment 
went into the field, by Robert M. McDowell, a grandson of 
Capt. Daniel McDowell, one of the earliest settlers in the 
valley. He made a military record for himself quite in keep- 
ing with the family name, which is such a distinguished one 
in the history of the county. He was educated as a civil 
engineer, and during the war was chief topographical engi- 
neer on the staff of Gen. Joseph Hooker. For many years, 
as mining engineer, he was connected with an extensive 
system of railroads in the West. 

The Lieutenant-Colonel and Chaplain of the regiment 
were both clergymen, sons of Lyman Beecher and brothers 
of Henry Ward Beecher. The Sergeant-Major, L. A. Hazard, 
was a newspaper man, exceedingly bright and amiable, long 
connected with the Elmira Gazette, and at one time part 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 55 

Company C of the regiment was commanded by 
Elisha G. Baldwin. '^ Company K by Capt. Wilbur 
F. Tuttle; of Big Flats. The regiment was mus- 
tered out on June 8, 1865. 

The 161st, — In this regiment one whole company 
was recruited from Chemung County, and scattered 
all through its ranks were Chemung County men. 
The company mentioned was C, and was raised 
and commanded by Capt. R. R. R. Dumars.^* The 
regiment saw nearly all its service; and it was very 
rough, in the campaigns around New Orleans. It 
participated in the capture of Port Hudson, and 
was the first regiment to enter Mobile after the sur- 
render of that city. It was mustered out of service 
on September 20, 1865. 

The 179th, — This was the last regiment entirely 
or partially made up from the county, that was 
raised in Elmira. It contained many members 

proprietor thereof, with his younger brother Charles Hazard. 
A post of the Grand Army of the Republic in Elmira is 
named in his honor and memory. Dr. 0. S. Greenman 
surgeon of the regiment, was a successful and highly-regarded 
physician of Horseheads. 

"Captain Baldwin was another member of that numerous 
family of Baldwins that was so prominent in all the affairs 
of the county from its very first settlement. He was a 
printer and newspaper man. At the bloody battle of Peach 
Tree Creek, Ga., both his regiment and the One Hundred 
and Seventh suffered terribly. He was in command of his 
regiment and it stood its ground nobly. For gallant services 
there he was promoted to be Major. 

74Captain Dumars was a printer and newspaper man, and 
in such connection was always popular and prominent. He 
established the Elmira Daily Press, and afterward became 
a leading spirit on the Advertiser. He served one term as 
Alderman from his ward in the Common Council of the City 
of Elmira. His first lieutenant was Orlando N. Smith, a 
most estimable man, a son of Dr. Norman Smithy the first 



56 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

who had belonged to the old "Twenty- third," and 
who had in the brief period earned the title of 
i* veterans." It was mustered into service during 
the month of September; 1864, with 846 officers 
and men. It was commanded by Col. William M. 
Gregg." The regiment retained and increased the 
reputation for daring and bravery that had been 
fairly earned by the earlier local organizations, and 
the story of its services will be recited hereafter 
with pride by the descendants of those who were 
in its ranks. At the assault on Petersburg, Va., 
on April 2, 1865, the regiment suffered terribly. 
For gallant conduct there; Colonel Gregg was bre- 
veted brigadier-general. The regiment was mus- 
tered out of service on June 8; 1865. For the brief 
period it was in the field there was crowded into 
the time a service of hardship and danger that some 
organizations did not experience during the whole 
war 

In March and /ipril, 1865, the last regimental 
organization was begun in Elmira, and seven com- 
panies were mustered in with 584 officers and men. 
Its services were never required, and its organiza- 
tion was never completed. 

Artillery. — In the artillery arm of the service, 

dentist to settle in Elmira, coming there in 1835. Orlando 
Smith was largely interested in the Elmira Fire Department. 
'sCoLONEL Gregg was a descendant of John Gregg, who 
came into the valley in the late years of the 18th century. He 
was a saddler and harnessmaker, and was always interested 
in the military and political affairs of the county. He was 
one of the three railroad mail agents first appointed, in 1849, 
to run on the Erie Railroad, their route being between 
Elmira and Binghamton. He served one term as Sheriff 
of the county. A post of the Grand Army of the Republic 
in Horseheads is named in his honor. 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 57 

there were four organizations, regiments, and bat- 
teries mustered in at Elmira during the war, and 
although some men of the county were members 
thereof, none of the companies could be called local 
organizations. 

The Cavalry. — In the cavalry arm of the service 
there were six organizations mustered in at Elmira. 
They had a number of representatives from the 
county; although relatively very small compared 
with the infantry. 

Tenth Regiment. — One of these was the 10th Regi- 
ment of Mounted Volunteers. It was a very popu- 
lar organization in the county. It was mustered 
in on December; 1861; with 991 officers and men. 
Its commanding officer was Col. William Irvine.'^ 
One of the lieutenants of the regiment was Luther 
L. Barney," who had been very active in the organi- 
zation of his company. 

The Twenty-fourth New York Cavalry had one 
company, that of Capt. L. L. Doolittle, which had 
a number of Chemung County men on its rolls. 

The Seventeenth New York Cavalry, afterwards 
consolidated with the First Veteran Cavalry, had 
two companies, almost exclusively composed cf 
Chemung County men. It was mustered into serv- 

7«CoLONEL Irvine was a busy and enterprising politician. 
He was at one time the Adjutant-General of the State. 
Subsequently he removed to California, where he became 
a successful business man and lawyer. 

"Lieutenant Barney made a useful and competent officer. 
He rose to the rank of Captain and served as Assistant Adju- 
tant-General on the division staff of General Gregg. After 
the war he engaged in the insurance business, and attained 
most responsible positions with some of the strongest com- 
panies in the country. 



58 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

ice on July 30; 1863. Two captains in this regi- 
ment, William L. Morgan, and John Whitley, Jr., 
personally enlisted, with two exceptions, every man 
on their rolls. ^^ 

The lack of silver change. — There was one depri- 
vation in these times that caused very serious an- 
noyance and inconvenience — the entire and com- 
plete disappearance of silver change. There had 
been no quarters, dimes, or nickels at that time, 
and the pennies or cents w^ere great copper discs 
that no one but children hankered after. The 
whole country had depended on Mexican or Span- 
ish coinage called i' pillared" pieces, by reason of 
the peculiar design on one face. They were called 
two shillings, shillings, and sixpences. It may not 
be recollected that our present serviceable Ameri- 
can decimal coinage was not adopted until after 
the war. Postage stamps were used until they 
became soiled, sticky, and obliterated, and indi- 
vidual dealers^^ got out fractional currency in vari- 

^sCaptain Morgan had resigned from the One Hundred 
and Seventh to raise his company. He was killed in Vir- 
ginia in an engagement with Mosby's men. Captain Whit- 
ley was a newspaper man, and w^as part proprietor of the 
Elmira Daily Press. The first lieutenant of Captain Mor- 
gan's company, E. V. Coulton, was one of the early school- 
masters of the county. He was long remembered as a 
severe physical disciplinarian with the switch and strap, 
an exercise that fully prepared him for good service as a 
cavalry officer. Sam A. Paine, who had already seen service 
in the One Hundred and Third Infantry, was a member of 
this company. Since the war he has made an enviable 
reputation for himself as a crisp, ready, bright newspaper 
writer. 

"One shrewd financier had printed five-cent shinplasters 
that were payable when presented in sums amounting to 
five dollars. He issued ninety-nine of these little bills. It 
was finance of a new character, but it worked, 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 69 

ous amounts less than a dollar. The city of Elmira 
finally issued neatly engraved bills in denomina- 
tions less than a dollar, 8° and they were used until 
the Government printed the convenient postal 
fractional currency in 1863. 

Gateway between the North and South. — The loca- 
tion of the county of Chemung is peculiar. It has 
been called, and with considerable reason; the 
''gateway between the North and South." From 
time immemorial the aborigines used the Chemung 
Valleys 1 in going on the warpath or on missions of 
peace from Canada and the northwestern part of 
the State to the South, and what are now the 
States of Virginia and North and South Carolina. 
It was the route that in those unhappy days runa- 
way blacks took to escape from bondage and reach 
places of freedom. Elmira became quite a noted 
station of the ''under-ground railroad," where the 
unfortunates always found rest, recuperation, and 
assistance on their journey. 

It was because of its situation that the valley 
v/as chosen, first for a military rendezvous and then 
for the location of a military prison. It was easy 
of access from either way, both North and South. 

soThe idea was conceived and put into practice by S. C. 
Reynolds, the President, and F. C. Steele, the Treasurer of 
the Board of Trustees of the village of Elmira. They received 
much commendation from the citizens and business men 
of the county for their action, and the artistic character 
of the bills. A very few of these bills are still in existence 
and are held of abnormal value. 

81 A look at the map will demonstrate tlils clearly. The 
route between Canada and Fort Niagara or Buiiaio leads 
down the Genessee Valley to the upper v/aters of a tributary 
of the Chemung, thence r{r:vyn that river to the Susquehanua, 
and by that stream to Maryland and Virginia. 



60 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

Troops could be forwarded from there very rapidly; 
with the least delay, and it could be defended with 
little effort from the approach of any enemy. 

Prison Camp. — ''The Rebel Prison Camp," as 
it was called, for the care of prisoners taken in war 
was established in May, 1864. It forms an inci- 
dent; the most important happening in the county 
since the battle of Newtown, with which the history 
of the valley begins, and it is of more than local 
interest. Every step was taken to insure the com- 
fort and the safety of the prisoners. The situa- 
tion chosen was in one of the loveliest and most 
fruitful portions of the valley, just to the west of 
the village of Elmira. It was about thirty acres 
in extent, and lay adjoining the river with a small 
lake or pond of living water within its boundaries. 
It was surrounded by a close board fence twelve 
feet in height, on the exterior of which, within four 
or five feet from the top, ran a wooden pathway, 
along which guards constantly paced night and day. 

At first ordinary ''A" tents were provided for 
the prisoners, but before the winter set in barracks 
were built of boards, in which the men were com- 
fortably housed. Abundant provision was made 
for the supply of food. 

The first detachment of prisoners arrived in the 
latter part of June, 1864, and the whole number 
cared for from this time to August, 1865, when the 
camp was broken up, was 11,916 men; a large pro- 
portion of them coming from North Carolina. 

The prison guard. — The prison was guarded at 
first by two infantry regiments of the regular army 
and a battery of the Fourth United States Artillery; 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 61 

afterwards by two regiments of the ''Invalid Corps/' 
The name of this organization was subsequently 
changed to the -'Veteran Reserve Corps." 

There were few attempts at escape among the 
prisoners; and only one or two successful ones." 

An attractive place. — The camp, while in exis- 
tence; was the most attractive spot in the valley, 
and was daily visited by hundreds from all over 
the country. Along the street that formed one of 
its boundaries was erected a long row of booths, 
where were displayed a variety of articles of food 
and drink to attract the attention and desire of 
the sightseer. It was like a perennial fair. 

The prisoners occupied themselves in such ways 
as suited their tastes or inclinations. Some at- 
tended to the lawns and gardens, by which the spot 
was beautified, and for which they received pay; 
others cut ornaments from wood or constructed 
them from horsehair, bits of coal or other materials.s^ 

The food provided was plentiful and of the best 
quality. During the existence of the camp; only 

820ne of these escaped by passing out of the main gate 
as a son of one of the officers in charge of the camp, whom 
he strongly resembled. Another one allowed himself to be 
nailed up in a coffin and passed out of the camp in the dead 
wagon. 

83Col. Samuel B. Hayman, a grandnephew of "Mad 
Anthony Wayne" of revolutionary times, was the Comman- 
dant of the Post during the latter part of the war, and made 
frequent visits to the camp, He owned, and he was very 
proud of it, a white horse, remarkable for its beauty and 
the plentifulness of its mane and tail. He took the animal 
to the camp once. He hitched it to a post and went into 
the officer's quarters on business, or for social pleasure, and 
was gone some time. When he returned his horse was there, 
but it possessed no mane or tail. Very soon thereafter 
appeared some very tasteful ornaments for sale, all made 
of white horsehair! 



62 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

a little over a year, there were issued to and con- 
sumed by the prisoners, 13,000 barrels of flour, and 
of meat, salt and fresh, nearly 2,000,000 pounds! 
There were savings from the rations allowed by 
the Government that were turned into cash and 
went to the benefit of the prisoners themselves, 
making what was called a ''prison fund." When 
the camp was broken up there remained in the 
bank to the credit of this fund, $92,000! 

There was much sickness in the camp, many of 
the prisoners arriving in a desperate physical con- 
dition, and at one time the smallpox broke out, 
from which there were many fatalities. There 
were 2,994 cases of death during the existence of 
the camp. Of these, 2,988 were buried at Wood- 
lawn, the city's cemetery; three were buried on 
the bank of the river, but were washed away by 
the great flood of 1865, and three were buried down 
the river in the neighborhood of the pesthouse. 

An accurate record was kept of those buried at 
Woodlawn, and there are many pathetic incidents 
related of persons from the South seeking sons or 
brothers or husbands lost in the war, and finding 
their bodies carefully and tenderly laid away there. 

The hospital accommodations were of the first 
class, with all the appliances of surgery and medi- 
cine known at the time. They were in charge, in 
the beginning, of Dr. William C. Wey." 

»*Dr. Wey was one of the most distinguished physicians 
of the State. He came to Elmira in 1849. He was connected 
by marriage with the Covell family, who helped so much in 
the earliest times to make the history of Chemung County. 
Ip 1871 he was the President of the State Medical Society, 
and served in that position with great distinction. He was 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 63 

The Sanitary Fair Conflagration. — An incident 
connected with this period, somewhat resulting 
from the war as one of its disasters, creating great 
distress all through the county, was the burning, in 
March, 1864, of the First Presbyterian Church. As 
was the custom of the time, a fair to raise funds 
for the Sanitary Commission, an organization formed 
for the benefit and comfort of the soldiers at the front, 
had been arranged; and it was held in the church, 
which was in the course of construction. The bare 
beams and timbers were profusely decorated with 
evergreens. In lighting the gas one evening a 
burning match touched these inflammable orna- 
ments, and in five minutes the whole interior was 
in flames. It was at "tea time," and there were 
few persons in the building. Two were burned to 
death; Maxey Manning Converse, » 5 and Frederick 
Hart, a son of William E. Hart. The loss other- 
wise was incalculable, as many valuable exhibits; 
oil-paintings, old furniture, and tableware, tapes- 
try, and other articles had been loaned for purposes 
of decoration or sale. 

The one riot. — One riot; not very successful or 
destructive, marked this period in the history of 
the county; and excited very lively apprehensions 
in the minds of the citizens. Members of a Michi- 
gan regiment; on their way home to be mustered 
out, in the exuberance of their feelings became 

prominently connected with the affairs of the Elmira Re- 
lormatory. He died on June 30, 1897. 

85Mr. Converse was an accomplished musician, a member 
of a very ancient family, and came to Elmira from Connecti- 
cut. His son, Charles Cozart Converse, has achieved great 
distinction in the musical, literary, and business world. 



64 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

very lively, tipped over loads of hay in the streets 
of Elmira, tore down signs and awnings, and be- 
haved in a way that could hardly be called playful. 
They got away beyond the patrol guard, but when 
a regiment from the prison camp came trotting 
down to quell the tumult, the disturbance and 
trouble didn't last very long after its appearance. 
An entirely innocent man leaning on a big wheel of 
a wagon; was the only victim. A shot was fired 
from some unknown quarter; and it took effect 
upon him. He dropped dead where he stood. No 
one received any punishment for the occurrence. 



PART IV 

Chemung County during the latter 

half of the XIX with glimpses 

of the XX Century 



The Times are the masquerade of the^^Eternities: trivial to 
the dull, tokens of noble and majestic'agents to the wise; the 
receptacle in. which the past leaves its history; the quarry 
out of which the genius of to-day is^building up the Future. 
We talk of the worid, but we mean a few men and women. 
If you speak of the age you mean your own platoon of people. 

— Emebson. 



The Latter Half of the XlXth, 

WITH GLIMPSES OF THE OPENING OF THE XXTH 
CENTURY. 

The period comprising the latter half of the 19th 
century was of great interest to the county and 
valley. There was a constant increase in every- 
thing that makes life interesting and valuable. 

Perhaps the most important was the means of 
getting about and the completer connection with 
the outside world. Facilities for this purpose were 
added constantly to those already possessed by 
the county. 

New facilities for doing business. — On January 1; 
1853, work was begun on a railroad to connect 
Elmira with Williamsport, Pa.; a distance of about 
seventy miles south, and on August 1, 1854, it was 
completed and in operation. In 1863 and 1866 
this line with one from Elmira to Canandaigua 
came, by long leases, under the control of the 
Pennsylvania Railroad Company, and was oper- 
ated by the Northern Central Railroad Company. 

In 1876 two lines of road were completed, one 
originally called the Utica, Ithaca, and Elmira 
Railroad, its aim being to reach the coal fields of 
Blossburg, Pa. This road was largely due to 
the business sagacity of Joseph Rodbourn, and 
Ulysses and William K. Breese, backed by the 
money and influence of Ezra Cornell. The line 

67 



68 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

ran over the hills from Elmira to Ithaca. 8«* It be- 
came, in time, the Elmira, Cortland and Northern 
Railroad, its northern terminus being at Canastota, 
and afterward was a branch of the Lehigh Valley 
Railroad. 

The other road was called the Elmira and State 
Line Railroad, and ran southwesterly from Elmira 
to Blossburg, Pa., reaching the Pennsylvania coal 
fields there. It subsequently, in 1882, came under 
the control of the Erie road; and is known as the 
** Tioga branch" thereof. 

In 1870 the Lehigh Valley Railroad was extended 
to Elmira, 8' using a third rail from Waverly, on the 
Erie road. This led to the change of the Erie broad 
guage track to the "standard" gauge, the work 
being completed in 1883. 

Another trunk-line; the Delaware, Lackawanna 
and Western, reached Elmira in 1882, its first pas- 
senger-train running into the station at that city 
on April 3 of that year. 

Other geographical divisions. — A number of new 

8'Joseph Rodbourn was a very unique and industrious 
citizen of Breesport, in the town of Horseheads, through 
which hamlet the road ran. He came there about 1850. 
His hands were always full of undertakings that were for 
the benefit of the village and the neighborhood where he 
had taken up his residence. For many years he was the 
County Overseer of the Poor, the county buildings having been 
located in Breesport in 1836. In Breesport he built a grist- 
mill and sawmill, both of very large capacity, and made the 
village hum with the bustle of industry and business. The 
shops of the new railroad were located in Breesport. A 
post-office was established there on November 19, 1853. 
Mr. Rodbourn was the first postmaster. 

"At that time, and for some years afterward, the Lehigh 
Valley Road ran over the tracks of the Erie from Sayre, Pa., 
to Buffalo. 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 69 

townships were formed in the county during this 
period. Horseheads was taken from Elmira Town- 
ship and formed into one by itself on February 7; 
1854.38 

On April 17, 1854; Chemung County was about 
cut in two. Its northern portion, being the towns 
of Catherine, Dix, and a little of Cayuta, were sliced 
away to help make the new county of Schuyler. 
There was much feeling aroused by this action of 
the Legislature. Chemung was a snug; compact 
little county as it was, reaching from the lake to 
the Pennsylvania line, and all portions of it were 
bound together by ties of memory; tradition; and 
interest that should have kept it together; as it 
was originally formed in 1788, when Chemung 
Township was organized. »' 

On the same date part of the old township of 
Cajoita was saved to Chemung, and with a portion 
of Erin Township was made into the township of 
Van Etten.'o 

Once more, on April 7, 1856, the northern part 

ssThe first town-meeting was held on February 14, 1854, 
and Samuel H. Maxwell was elected Supervisor. He served 
three terms in that capacity, and in his third term he was 
chosen Chairman of the Board. 

s^The new county did not fall into ways of pleasantness 
and peace. For thirteen years there was a quarrel there 
as to the location of the county seat. On the side of one 
of these contentions was the Hon. Jeremiah McGuire. He 
was an Irish lad, born in Dublin. In 1849 he settled in the 
village of Havana, then in Chemung County. In 1873 he 
v/as the Member of Assembly from Schuyler County, and the 
same year removed to Elmira. In 1874 he was the Member 
of Assembly from Chemung County, and served as the 
Speaker of that body. He died in 1889. 

9oThe first town meeting was held on May 9, 1854, and 
George B. Hall was chosen Supervisor. 



70 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

of the township of Chemung was taken and there 
was formed from it the township of Baldwin.^i 

But the most important change of the period 
affected the city of Elmira. On April 7, 1864, it 
was made into a city of five wards.'' 2 In 1872, the 
city was again divided into seven wards, and in 
1899 it became a city of twelve wards. 

There was one more change in the civil divisions 
and the last one so far. The township of Ashland, 
named in honor of the home of Henry Clay, was 
erected on April 21, 1867, to form which portions 
of the townships of Elmira and Southport v/ere 
taken. 9 3 

Educational Institutions. — Quite in keeping with 
pretty much all the other portions of this country 
the matter of the education of the children engaged 
the attention of the citizens, and the interest therein 
far from abating, never once ceased to grow and 
increase.94 

9>The first town-meeting was held on May 6, 1856, and 
William H. Little was chosen Supervisor. 

92The first Common Council met on April 19, 1864. John 
I. Nicks was the last President of the Board of Trustees of 
the village of Elmira. John Arnot, Jr., was the first Mayor 
of the City of Elmira. 

93The first town-meeting in Ashland was held on May 4, 
1867. Richard C. Lockwood was chosen Supervisor. 

The term of office in the Board of Supervisors of the 
county show some remarkable records. George W. Buck 
served fifteen years as member of the Board from Chemung 
Township, and was Chairman of the Board six years. Jesse 
L. Cooley served as Clerk of the Board for ten years. 

94ln Southport there are sixteen school districts and 
fourteen school-houses, most of them organized and built 
during the period of which we write. In Chemung there 
are seventeen school districts. In Horseheads the first 
school-house was built in 1800. In 1850 a school of high 
grade was opened, Ezra Roberts being the first principal, 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. ^ 71 

In Elmira there had been two district school- 
houses, an academy, and a number of private schools. 
The academy was a large building situated on Bald- 
win Street. It was first used as the Presbyterian 
Church, built about 1821, and was removed to the 
lot it occupied in 1836.^5 

In 1859 the Legislature of the State provided 
for a Board of Education to have charge of the 

He subsequently removed to Elmira where he established 
and conducted a private school of considerable reputation. 
In 1865 a school was organized in Horseheads as a Union 
Free School, being in advance of the general law for free 
schools. The first principal under this new system was 
Sylvester D. Boorom. A Board of Education is in charge 
of this institution, and the school has grown to large and 
influential proportions. In Big Flats there are eight dis- 
tricts and the same number of school-houses. In the village 
of the name, there have been three school-houses, one built 
in 1815, the red school-house built in 1837, and the one now 
in use, built in 1853. In Erin there were, in 1833, three 
school-houses, and the interest therein has not abated. In 
Van Etten the first school was taught by Mrs. Jonathan 
Baker, in 1803. There are now twelve school districts in the 
township. In Van Ettenville, in this township, there was 
organized a Union School in 1882, which is in charge of a 
Board of Education. The institution flourished from the 
start, and it is one of the most popular and favorite public 
interests of the town. In Baldwin a school-house was built 
at "Hammond's Corners" in 1852. In Catlin the first school- 
house was built in 1820. There are now in the township 
eleven school-houses and parts of three districts. 

"These district schools were in charge, at one time or 
another of men who became distinguished afterwards in 
the various walks of life. Among them may be named 
Gen. A. S. Diven, Judge Ariel Thurston and Hugh Riddle, 
who attained great distinction in the railroad business, being 
at one time President of the Rock Island Railroad Com- 
pany; and at the Academy were graduated those v/ho 
achieved prominent places in the world. Among these are 
the Hon. Charles B. Farwell, at one time United States Sena- 
tor from Illinois; Rear-Admiral Francis A. Roe, United 
States Navy; Major-General Wilham W. Averill, U. S. A., 
General Hull Fanton, and Francis CoUingood, a civil engineer 
of renown. 



72 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

public schools of the town. There were five dis- 
tricts erected at first, and a primary school con- 
nected with district No. 1.'* There are now twelve 
districts. 

The First Free Academy was completed in 1862. 
In 1891 preparations were begun for the erection 
of a new building, and it was completed and occu- 
pied in 1893. 

The Elmira College for women. — This institution 
the first one in the country chartered to bestow 
upon women similar degrees to those granted to 
young men, was authorized on April 13, 1855, its 
name at that time being changed from the "Elmira 
Collegiate Seminary" to the "Elmira Female Col- 
lege." It was opened in October, 1853. In 1890 
a music hall was added in connection with the 
institution; costing $10,000; by the munificence 
of Solomon L. Gillett, a wealthy merchant of El- 
mira.'^ 

Religious Advantages. — There is hardly a spot 



«6The first meeting of the Board of Education was held 
on April 19, 1859. The commissioners were: Erastus L. Hart, 
John Arnot, Orrin Robertson, Elijah N. Barbour, Ariel S. 
Thurston, Stephen McDonald, Archibald Robertson, Civilian 
Brown, and Snubael B. Denton. The first President of the 
Board was Erastus L. Hart, and the first secretary and 
superintendent, S. R. Scofield. 

"The institution was greatly indebted in its inception to 
Simeon Benjamin, who gave very liberally for its foundation. 
The Rev Dr. A. W. Cowles was its first president, and con- 
tinued to act as such for thirty-six years. Many eminent 
teachers have been connected with the institution. Its 
semi-centennial was celebrated in 1905 with great display 
and much enthusiasm. At Christmas, 1906, Dr. Cowles was 
made President emeritus of the college, and a pension of 
$1,200 a year was bestowed upon him from the Carnegie 
fund, for eminence in the educational annals of the country. 



CHEMUNG COUNTY. N. Y. 73 

in the whole county, however remote, that in some 
direction cannot be seen a steeple, pointing toward 
Heaven, indicating that there is a building there, 
where those of some denomination gather weekly 
and sometimes oftener for public worship. »« 

During this period Elmira had a great increase 
in the number of her churches. The First Presby- 

9«In Breesport, in the town of Horseheads, there are 
four churches, a Presbyterian church, built in 1875, a Meth- 
odist church, built in 1880, a Methodist Protestant Church, 
built in 1855, and a Baptist Church, built in 1856. 

In Big Flats the Methodist Church was built in 1868, 
a Presbyterian Church, built in 1829, and an Episcopal 
Church, built in 1867. In Ashland, at Wellsburg, there is 
a Baptist Church, built in 1812. It has a curious memory 
attached to it. The land on which the church stands and 
that adjoining, set off as a cemetery, was given to the Society 
by Henry Wells, for fifty cents! Also in Wellsburg the 
Methodist Church there was built in 1874. This society 
was organized in 1847, its first pastor being the Rev. Charles 
Davis. There is also in Wellsbui^ an Episcopal Church. 
In the township of Baldwin at "Hammond's Corners" there 
is a building erected in 1852, that is used by seven different 
denominations. In Horseheads a brick Baptist Church 
was dedicated on February 20, 1856. A Presbyterian 
Church, of which the Rev. C. C. Carr was pastor for twenty 
three years, was originally built in 1832. It was enlarged 
in 1859 and was still further enlarged and beautified in 1888. 
There is also in Horseheads an Episcopal Church, built in 
1866-67. This society was organized on August 11, 1862. 
The Roman Catholic Church in Horseheads was built in 
1866. An Elmira man, born and bred in that city, has been 
for some time the pastor of this church, Father William T. 
Dunn. The Methodist Church in Horseheads had its first class- 
meeting in 1827 in a new barn erected by Jonas Sayre. On 
November 25, 1834, the Society was incorporated as "First 
Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Horseheads." 
The first church building was erected in 1834. It was en- 
larged in 1856. In 1868 a parsonage was built. In this 
township a church or Society of Friends or Quakers was 
organized in 1860. In Southport the First Baptist Church 
was built in 1853, the Society being regularly organized in 
May, 1855; a Methodist Church was also built in 1855, and 
the Presbvterian Church, built in 1839. In "Hendy Hol- 
low," in this township, a Roman Catholic Church was built 



74 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

terian Church provided the largest number 
of changes. The ''Independent Congregational 
Church," which was the first to break away from 
the old body, built its first church in 1851. The 
present house of worship was built and occupied 
in 1876. In June, 1854, the Rev. Thomas K. 
Beecher" became the pastor of the church and 
the name of the organization was changed to the 
i'Park Church." In 1860, what was at first known 
as the Second Presbyterian Church of Elmira sepa- 
rated from the old church. Its name subsequently 
became the i'Lake Street Presbyterian Church." 
The church building was dedicated on June 13, 
1862. In 1905 it was enlarged and improved. 

in 1878. In Chemung the Methodist Church was built in 
1850, and a Baptist church, built in 1855 and dedicated on 
February 3 of that year. In Van Ettenville a Baptist 
Church was built in 1852 and a Methodist Church in 1883. 
In SwARTwooD, in the Township, a Hedding, Methodist 
Church was built in 1826, and remodeled in 1883. In 
Veteran a Baptist Society, first organized and first known 
as the "Free Religious Society," built a church in 1871. 
In Pine Valley, in this township, a Methodist Church was 
built and dedicated in November, 1889. Also in Millport 
a Methodist Church, originally built in 1833, was rebuilt 
in 1867, and a Baptist Society organized in 1844, purchased 
their church from the Presbyterians and rededicated it on 
March 27, 1871, and St. Mark's Episcopal Church was con- 
secrated here in January, 1888. In Erin a Baptist Church 
was built in 1874 and a Methodist Church in 187L The 
First Methodist Church is the only church in Catlin. Its 
cornerstone was laid on July 16, 1881, and it was dedicated 
on March 8, 1882. In Horseheads a colored church, called 
the African Union Methodist Protestant Church was organ- 
ized in 1860. In 1883 they built a brick church. 

"Mr. Beecher was probably the widest known of any 
citizen of the county. He was a son of the famous Dr. 
Lyman Beecher. He served as pastor of the church for 
forty-six years and during his Hfe was one of the most influ- 
ential citizens of the county, his activity exten^ng into 
every field of endeavor. He died on March 14, 190D. 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 75 

The Franklin Street Church was organized in 1882; 
the formal organization being perfected on January 
17 of that year. The North Church, a further 
outgrowth from the old body, occupied its new 
church building in 1890. 

Trinity Church rectory was finished and occu- 
pied in 1852, and the church building was opened 
for worship in July, 1858. '0° The Arnot Memorial 
Chapel, which is connected with Trinity Church, 
was consecrated in November, 1882,. its corner- 
stone having been laid in 1880. 

Grace Church, which is an offshoot of Trinity; 
was incorporated in 1864. The chapel it occupied 
for many years was erected in 1866. A new edifice 
was erected in 1904. St. Agnes Chapel, an off- 
spring of Grace Church, was dedicated on April 13, 
1893. 

The new Baptist Church was begun in the spring 
of 1889, and dedicated on May 15, 1892.'o. On 
May 6, 1854, some members of the church formed 
a new organization called at first the -'Central 
Baptist Church," becoming however the ''Madison 
Avenue Baptist Church." It remained in exis- 
tence only a few years. 

The ''Hedding" Methodist Church was organized 
from the First Church on August 31; 1852. The 
''Centenary," another development of Methodism 

JooThe Rev. William Paret, at one time rector of this church 
became the Bishop of Maryland. The Rev. George H. 
McKnight, who became rector of the church in 1869, served 
as such for tiiirty-six years. He died on March 15, 1905. 

lO'The Rev. W. T. Henry came as pastor of this church in 
1877, occupying the pulpit for the first time on March 27 
of that year. He has served the church for almost thirty- 
years. 



76 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

was organized in 1872, and its church edifice was 
erected in 1884. Another church has recently 
been organized, and a church built on Maple Avenue. 

There was a ''Freewill Baptist Church" organized 
in 1869; and a church building erected by them in 
the same year. The first pastor was the Rev. 
Schuyler Aldrich. 

A German Evangelical Church was organized 
on November 8, 1874, its pastor being the Rev. 
Mr. Loesch. Its church was subsequently located 
on Madison Avenue. The Roman Catholic Church 
has been prominent in Elmira and unusually active. 
The church of St. John the Baptist was organized 
in 1867. Its church building was built in 1891, 
and was consecrated on May 1; 1892. St. Patrick's 
is one of the most conspicuous churches in the city. 
It was built in 1871, and consecrated on December 
13, 1875.««^ St. Mary's Catholic Church was first 
built in 1872, which was replaced in 1874. The 
church of St. Charles of Borromeo, located at Elmira 
Heights, was consecrated on November 2, 1904. 

Those of the Hebrew faith have two places of 
worship. The congregation of B'nai Israel was 
organized in 1860, and their synagogue was built 
in 1863. The other congregation is called Shomer 
Hadoth. 

There are also two churches for the colored peo- 
ple. The African Union Methodist Protestant 

>"2This church is indebted to its pastor, the Rev. Father 
J. J. Bloomer, who to a Christian character adds a business 
tact and judgment that has made his career very successful 
both as a clergyman and man. He is much beloved by his 
people, and enjoys the confidence and respect of the whole 
community. He is the dean of the Elmira clergy, having 
served as pastor longer than any other minister now living. 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 77 

Church was organized in 1850. Their first church 
building was erected in 1852, and the one built to 
replace it in 1879 and dedicated in August, 1880. 
An African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church grew 
out of this society in 1870. They built their church 
in 1871. 

As closely allied to the work of the churches is 
the Young Men's Christian Association. A society 
of this name was organized in Elmira, the only one 
in the county, in July, 1858. 103 It occupied rooms 
for ten years, and in 1892 a building was erected 
for its use, and very recently another one was pre- 
pared for and occupied by it. 

A Railway Young Men's Christian Association 
was organized in Elmira on May 12, 1878, and a 
well-equipped building was prepared for it in 1881. 

Fraternal orders and associations. — Chemung 
County has been a rich field for the organization 
of secret orders for fraternal and charitable pur- 
poses.' «* Masonry in Elmira, in 1828, suffered an 

losThe first officers of this organization were: President, 
H. M. Partridge; vice-president, Seymour B. Fairman; 
recording secretary, Samuel R. Van Campen; corresponding 
secretary, A. R. Wright; treasurer, Socrates Ayres. 

10* All through the countv there are organizations of goodly- 
numbers, all showing mucn interest in the objects for which 
they were formed. In Chemung Township Chemung Lodge 
No. 350, F. and A. M., was chartered on August 23, 1854, 
and Chemung Grange, No. 204, of the Patrons of Husbandry 
was organized in May, 1874. In Horseheads a lodge of 
F, and A. M. named Horseheads Lodge, No. 364, was chart- 
ered, and held its first meeting on July 21. 1855. James 
A. Christie was designated as W. M. In 1862, the buildings 
the order occupied were burned, and the work of the lodge 
intermitted for two or three months. The Horseheads 
Chapter, No. 261, R. A. M., was instituted in April, 1871. 
The Chemung Valley Equitable Aid Union of Horseheads 
was organized in June, 1880. Big Flats has a lodge. No. 



78 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

eclipse for fifteen years. In 1843, the old Union 
Lodge No. 30 was resuscitated, and under the new 
number, 90, again began its work. The Royal 
Arch Chapter, No. 42, had been chartered on April 
4, 1815. It, too, suffered an eclipse along with 
Union Lodge, and in 1844 sprang again into life. 
The Commandery of St. Omers, No. 19, was insti- 
tuted in 1852; the first commander having been 
Thomas C. Edwards. A new lodge in masonry, 
Ivy, No. 397, was instituted in 1856.i°5 It was 
largely composed of young men. An adjunct of 
the Masonic order, called The Southern Tier Masonic 
Relief Association, was organized in 1868. The 
Masonic Temple, where all these bodies named have 

378, F. and A. M., which was instituted in July, 1855. Dr. 
Corbett Peebles was its first W. M., and the meetings of the 
lodge were held at his house. There was a Masonic Lodge 
established in this township in 1810, holding its meetings in 
an upper room of Capt. George Gordon's tavern. Daniel 
E. Brown was its W. M. But the fact has almost faded 
away from memory, as it has in fact. Other organizations 
in this township are as follows: The Big Flats Ancient Order 
of United Workmen, organized in March, 1879; an Equita- 
ble Aid Union, instituted on December 16, 1884, and the 
Seeley Post No. 554, G. A. R., chartered April 25, 1885. 
Van Ettenville has a Mount Lebanon Lodge, F. and 
A M., chartered on July 12, 1877; the Van Ettenville 
Lodge, Knights of Honor, organized April 19, 1879; a lodge 
of the Knights and Ladies of Honor, instituted in 1883; an 
Equiiable Aid Union, organized in 1880; a "Provident 
Shield Society," which began business on July 9, 1880, and 
the Maxwell Post, G. A. R., organized in March, 1884. 
Baldwin has at North Chemung the North Chemung Grange, 
Patrons of Husbandry, No. 277. Veteran has, at Pine Val- 
ley, Fidelity Lodge No. 157, L 0. G. T., organized on Febru- 
ary 5, 1869, and Pine Valley Lodge No. 157, Order of Good 
Templars, chartered in January, 1891, and at Millport 
The Old Oak Lodge No. 257, F. and A. M., organized on June 
7, 1852. 

«05it held its first meeting on November 22, 1856. Its 
first master was Thomas C. Edwards. 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 79 

their meetings; was completed and occupied Janu- 
ary 1, 1880. The post-office occupied this build- 
ing twenty-three years. 

Another order, the I. 0. 0. F.; occupies no incon- 
siderable position in the annals of the county. 
Chemung Lodge, of this body, No. 127, was char- 
tered on October 11, 1844.io<5 The Fort Hill Encamp- 
ment of this order. No. 18, was organized on Febru- 
ary 13, 1846. Southern Tier Lodge, No. 344, was 
instituted on January 21, 1873. John T. David- 
son was the first noble grand of this lodge. A Ger- 
man lodge of Odd Fellows, Donau; No. 363, was 
organized on June 30, 1873. Its first noble grand 
was Jacob Snyder. Another encampment, Elmira 
No. 86, L 0. 0. F., was organized on September 24, 
1875, and from both the encampments was formed 
the Queen City Uniformed Patriarchs; on August 
1, 1879. In Horseheads and Millport there were 
lodges of this order, but they were discontinued. 
In Breesport there was a lodge, Breesport No. 219, 
organized on February II5 1875. Its first noble 
grand was George S. Sadler. 

Patriotic organizations. — Baldwin Post; No. 6, 
G. A. R., was among the very first of the Grand 
Army Posts that were organized, as its numerical 
designation indicates. It was organized June 11; 
1868, its first commander having been Col. Gabriel 
L. Smith. 

There have been many other organizations 
formed in Elmira with many purposes and objects 

lo^The first officers of this lodge were: R, B. Sharpstein, 
N, G.; E. J. Home, V. G.; D. C. Mallory, secretary; George 
P. Tyler, treasurer. 



80 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

in view. In the musical way there have been 
many brass bands that enjoyed high reputations; 
in their time. The mention of the names of -'Wis- 
ner's," !'La Franc's," .^/Updegraff's," I'The Em- 
mett," and *'Hager" during this period brings up 
pleasant recollections in the minds of many. The 
Germans were the most successful in undertakings 
of this kind. Their Sangerbund, organized in 1856; 
has had a long career along the lines for which it 
was formed. Ernst Schidlen was its first president, 
and Charles Mosgau its first leader. 

Until 1878, when the paid Fire Department was 
established in Elmira with Miles Trout as the first 
chief engineer, there had been five fire companies. 
Besides those already named there was organized 
in 1854, -'Young America" Company, No. 4, and 
in the same year -'Eureka Company, No. 5." The 
first steam fire-engine used by the old Volunteer 
Department, was bought the same year that Elmira 
became a city. In 1850 two brick engine-houses 
were built. In 1867 the Market Street hose tower 
was erected, and the new building in the same place 
was occupied in 1891. io» 

The military affairs of the county were well cared 
for after the war. It was included in a regimental 
district; the chief officer in command being Col. 

•o'The other portions of the county had little or no protec- 
tion from fire other than that of a most primitive character, 
excepting Horseheads and Van Ettenville. In the first named 
town, the Horseheads Step.m and Hose Co., No. 1, was organ- 
ized on August 22, 1873, John W. Lovell being foreman. 
Acme Hose Co., No. 2, was organized on November 14, 1877. 
The department was incorporated in June, 1876. Pioneer 
Hose Co. was organized in 1874. In Van Ettenville the 
Canfield Hook and Ladder Company was formed in January 
1889. : . 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 81 

Stephen T. Arnot. In 1874 the 110th Battalion 
was organized with Luther Caldwell in command. 
In Elmira there were three companies; one in 
Wellsburg, and one in Horseheads. There was also 
a battery of artillery organized. But the system 
lasted only until 1878. The Thirtieth separate 
company soon after was formed, and is still in exist- 
ence. The Armory, on Church Street; was built 
in 1886. In 1884, the brigadier-general command- 
ing in this part of the State was taken from the 
Thirtieth Separate Company in the person of Gen. 
Edmund 0. Beers. During the Spanish War this 
company served as D Company in one of the regi- 
ments from the western part of the State. 

The Elmira Reformatory, which marked a new 
era in the penal institutions of the State, if not of 
the world; was occupied in 1876. The idea, of 
which the institution is a materialization, originated 
with Z. R. Brockway.»o8 

Four charitable organizations mark the public 
interest manifested for the weak, the aged, and 
the unfortunate. The ''Southern Tier Orphans' 
Home" was organized in 1868; the ''Home for the 

iosMr. Brock way had made the subject a study for forty 
years, and has seen it developed and successful. Tne amount 
of good it has accomplished is incalculable in the reclama- 
tion of many youths and young men who seemed to be way- 
ward, but were set in the right path by the system adopted 
in the institution. A very unique publication is issued from 
the institution called The Summary, all of the work for which 
is done by the inmates. Its first number was printed on 
Thanksgiving Day, 1883. Mr. Brockway was elected Mayor 
of the city of Elmira in 1906, as the head and front of what 
has become known all over the United States, and formed a 
model in many communities, as "the Elmira Compact," a 
movement entered into by the political parties of the city to 
purify local politics and keep them clean. 



82 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

Aged" had its first meeting in May; 1874; three 
years afterward its building was begun, and on 
July 1, 1880, it was completed and ready for occu- 
pancy. The "Industrial School" had its inception 
in 1877; but it was not until seven years later, in 
1884, when the new building for its use was ready 
to be occupied. The Arnot-Ogden Hospital, ad- 
mirably situated and perfectly equipped, was 
delivered in trust to its Board of Managers in Decem- 
ber, 1888. 

Along these same lines for doing good, with the 
charitable element eliminated, is the ''Elmira 
Academy of Medicine," which was founded on 
June 29; 1852. Although its name indicated its 
locality; the membership was not confined to the 
city of Elmira.105 The first president of the society 
was Dr. Erastus L. Hart. Among the out-of-town 
members was Dr. William Woodward, of Big Flats; 
a highly-esteemed man and physician. One object 
of this society was the collection and preservation 
of vital statistics. By this means, Elmira possesses 
a store of valuable information that runs farther 
back in the history of the valley than is possessed 
by very few cities or counties in the country. 

The -'Academy of Sciences" was established in 
September, 1861, by a number of gentlemen who 
desired to **look into things" that were curious 
and valuable. Its first president was the Rev. 
T. K. Beecher. It possesses an astronomical 

io9The constituent members of this organization were: 
Drs. H. S. Chubbuck, T. H. Squire, Ira F. Hart, Erastus L. 
Hart, Jotham Purdy, Uriah Smith, N. R. Derby, William 
C. Wey, J. K. Stanchfield. All of these stood high in the 
community, and with one exception are not now living. 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 83 

observatory; in which is placed a large telescope; 
and the inquiries made by the organization extend 
to about all subjects in which it is aided by suit- 
able apparatus of all kinds. 

Bridges over the Chemung. — The Lake Street 
bridge suffered from fire in 1850, and was rebuilt. 
In 1853 another bridge was built from Main Street 
across the river, but it had many mishaps, being 
badly damaged by the great flood of 1865. In 
1872 arrangements were made for substituting iron 
or steel bridges for these two. The Main Street 
bridge was finished on September 15, 1873, and 
the Lake Street bridge on October 1, 1874. An- 
other new Lake Street bridge was constructed in 
1905. Two other bridges, one at Madison Avenue, 
and the other at Walnut Street, were erected within 
the last decade of last century. 

New hanking facilities. — An institution called 
"The Bank of Elmira" was established in 1853. 
Its first president was David H. Tu thill, and its 
first cashier, Anson C. Ely. Out of this grew -'The 
Second National Bank of Elmira,'' which was 
organized on December 14, 1863. Its first officers 
were: Henry M. Partridge, president; Daniel R. 
Pratt, vice-president; William F. Corey, cashier. i'" 

There was a ''First National Bank of Elmira'' 
organized in 1863. But its life was of short dura- 
tion. It fell into difficulties and went under the 
control of the Chemung Canal Bank. 

There was a Farmers' and Mechanics' Bank 

JioThis bank was the one hundred and forty-ninth institu- 
of that nature organized under the national banking laws. 
It has been a United States depository almost since its 
establishment. 



84 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

established in Elmira in 1876, by Lewis M. Smith 
and Henry L. Bacon; but it is no longer in exist- 
ence. The same may be said of the Elmira Na- 
tional Bank that was established in September, 1889. 
A private banking institution, established by the 
F. W. Dinniny influence about 1880, meets the 
wants of business men in the western part of the 
city. 

Horseheads also has a bank, established about 
twenty years ago under the influence of the Ben- 
nitt family, of which John Bennitt, a descendant 
of Comfort Bennitt, who came very early into the 
valley; is at the head. 

The Chemung Canal Bank for some years was 
a National Bank, but it withdrew its charter and 
became a State institution again about 1869. Re- 
cently, in 1903, it was consolidated with and became 
a part of the -'Chemung Canal Trust Company," 
the first president of which was Ray Tompkins. 

Amusements. — Elmira was always well provided 
with places for the amusement and entertainment 
of its citizens, some of which have already been 
mentioned. The old Opera House was built and 
occupied in 1868. It was succeeded by the Lyceum; 
which with the "Auditorium" was burned on March 
6, 1904. The two buildings have been replaced; 
the first one having been occupied in 1905 and the 
last in 1906. 

It seems strange that circus tents have been 
stretched on almost every prominent lot and cor- 
ner in the city, and it is in the memory of many 
still living that the tall poles and white canvas could 
be seen on squares where now stand some of the 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 85 

fairest blocks and even churches that are in the 
city. 

Racing has always been a favorite sport in the 
county, and some of the finest bred horses in the 
country have had their origin therein. From the 
very first settlement there have been tracks in the 
county that were famous in their time all over the 
State. Some of these were straightaway, like the 
one in Southport, or the one in Elmira starting at 
the foot of Lake Street and stretching north without 
a curve toward the lake, most of them, however, 
were circular or oval. There were two or three in 
Horseheads whose location can still be pointed out. 
One in Elmira, just west of the location of the 
*' Rebel Prison'' camp, a mile track, was immor- 
talized in horse annals in 1860, during the continu- 
ance of a horse fair in the valley, by the appear- 
ance there of the famous mare *' Flora Temple,'* 
who made one of her fastest miles then. In 1874 
the Elmira Driving Park Association was organ- 
ized, receiving the countenance and support of the 
best people in the city.»«' In July, 1886, the Maple 
Avenue Athletic Association for similar purposes 
was formed. 

A notable event for the valley occurred in 1855, 
when the first fair of the State Agricultural Society 
was held in Elmira.»>» It had two features which 

"'At the inau^ral meeting in the fall of 1875 one of the 
horses entered was "American Girl," who had a very fast 
record. During the race she fell forward dead at the three- 
quarter post. There was a slight rain falling at the time and 
a very distinct rainbow was formed. From the grand stand 
hundreds saw that the eastern end of it seemed to be resting 
on the dying mare's head. 

»>»The address on this occasion was delivered by Governor 



86 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

were subsequently dropped by the society on occa- 
sions of this kind, a formal address and a ball! 
There have been since five other State fairs held 
in the county, the last one in 1883. 

The County Agricultural Society, which gives 
annually county fairs, was formed as early as 1853, 
Charles Hulett, of Horseheads, being the first presi- 
dent. In 1871, in conjunction with the State 
Society, 400 acres of land lying halfway between 
Elmira and Horseheads were secured and laid out 
for holding the fairs. 

Farmer's clubs. — In December, 1869, there was 
held a meeting of farmers in a wagon shop, at 
Carr's Corners, in the suburbs of Elmira, that was 
destined to exert a great influence on the agricul- 
tural interests of the whole country. It was the 
first time that practical farmers got together and 
discussed matters about the farm that they were 
familiar with in their everyday life and knew from 
their own eyes and hands what they were talking 
about. Then was organized the -'Elmira Farmers' 
Club,'' the model of a great many others all over 
the country.»»» Its first president was George W. 

Grimes, of Iowa, a stately Daniel Webster style of man of 
the old school of oratory. The ball was in Floral Hall, and 
was one of the social events of the countryside that had 
never before been equaled in the valley, and has never 
since been very much surpassed. 

"^George W. Hoffman was a son of the William Hoffman 
who came very early to the valley. He has served as Alder- 
man from his ward in the Common Council of the city of 
Elmira, and has been president of the State Agricultural 
Society. W. A. Armstrong established in 1874 the agricul- 
tural newspaper that he called the Husbandman, which at- 
tained a very wide circulation. He was at one time the 
head of the State organization of the "Patrons of Hus- 
bandry." 



CHEMUNG COUNTY. N, Y. 87 

Hoffman; and its first secretary, W. A. Armstrong. 
There were no changes in these officers for many 
years. In 1873 the club built its hall in the near 
neighborhood of the place where it had held its 
first meeting, and it formed a pleasant and con- 
spicuous object in the landscape. 

In June, 1889, an organization calling itself the 
^'Interstate Fair Association," was formed^^* for 
the purpose of giving annual exhibitions similar 
to county fairs. Its grounds were the same as 
those belonging to the -'Maple Avenue Athletic 
Association." 

The baseball annals of the valley deserve recog- 
nition, for they are regarded with much interest. 
Some of the most conspicuous citizens of Elmira 
were adepts at the game in their school and col- 
lege days. In 1880, a team backed by the Tele- 
gram newspaper, achieved great prominence and 
success, and during the season of 1906 the -'Father 
Mathew" nine made a great record. 

In 1872, largely through the efforts of Geo. M. 
Diven, Esq.; a street railway company was formed, 
and tracks laid connecting the city of Elmira and 
the village of Horseheads. In 1886 the company 
was sold to interests represented by Col. D. C. 
Robinson, and the tracks were greatly extended. 

Electric lighting was introduced into Elmira in 
1883, the company becoming the -'Elmira Illumi- 
nating Company." 

An Elmira Water Company was formed on April 

>»*The first officers of this organization were: Judson H. 
Clark, president; George M. Robinson, secretary; D. C. 
Robinson, treasurer; George Brand, general superinten- 
dent. 



88 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

14; 1859; and ten years afterward; in 1869; it was 
reorganized and called the Elmira Water Works 
Company, at whose head was Gen. A. S. Diven. 

All of these companies; with the gas company 
added thereto; came under the control of a large 
corporation, and more recently were all taken over 
by the Elmira Light, Water, and Railroad Com- 
pany. This corporation has recently very greatly 
extended its business, and in 1906 formed connec- 
tion with a trolley line connecting Elmira with 
Watkins and the head of Seneca Lake. 

On August 29, 1879; the centennial of the Bat- 
tle of Newtown was celebrated by the dedication 
of a monument to General Sullivan; near the spot 
where the engagement was fought.»»' It was located 
on a practically inaccessible spot, and could not have 
the care it called for and was entitled to. It has 
therefore largely fallen to pieces. An effort has 
recently been begun to have a new and more suit- 
able memorial raised in a more conspicuous loca- 
tion. 

Public journals, — The newspaper field in the 
county was well occupied during this period. In 
1869, a weekly journal, called the Saturday Review, 
was started, but it was too fine and delicate to live. 
It touched subjects that did not appeal to the 
mass of the citizens. In 1879 there was a little 

Ji'This celebration was attended by the largest concourse 
of people ever gathered together in the county. It was 
estimated that between 25,000 and 30,000 persons were 
present. Among the distinguished men wno delivered 
speeches were Gen. W. T. Sherman; Governor Heniy P. 
Hoyt, of Pennsylvania, and his staff; Governor Nat. Head 
of New Hampshire and staff, and Governor Lucius Robinson, 
of N^w York, and staff. 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 89 

daily; with the striking and attractive name of the 
Midday Sun, run for a while in the interest of the 
Greenback political organization. If it carried out 
its name it should have been very bright. It was. 
Too bright to exist long. It turned itself out. 
It was followed the next year by the Bazoo, con- 
trolled by Hugh Coyle, and in the interest of the 
same political organization. Its name was changed 
to the Evening Herald, and then it passed into the 
^'pi" box. In 1873 the Weekly Free Press was 
started in Horseheads, which was removed in 1878 
to Elmira, and a daily issued in 1880. In 1884 
it was consolidated with the Gazette, In 1874 the 
Southern Tier Leader was issued weekly for three 
years; and then stopped. The Chemung County 
Republican was published in Horseheads in 1856; 
being discontinued in 1858, and consolidated with 
the Elmira Advertiser. The Horseheads Philos- 
opher was started for political reasons in 1856, by 
Samuel C. Taber.»»<^ It didn't last long although 
it won. The Horseheads Journal was first printed 
on April 16, 1858. In 1878 it was removed to 
Elmira; and espousing the Greenback theories 
changed its name to the Chemung County Green- 
backer. It was removed back to Horseheads on 
April 14; 1887, and is now called the Chemung 
Valley Reporter, is published by a company under 
the editorship of George L. Mulford, a clean, bright; 

i»'Mr. Taber came to the valley in 1847 from Herkimer 
County, N. Y., and was engaged on several newspapers, 
especially on the Elmira Advertiser, where he won what 
might easily be called fame as a wit and genial companion 
with all. No man in the county enjoys the friendship, 
almost affection, of so many prominent men of the day. 



90 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

well printed local sheet. There was a little news-^ 
paper published in 1874 called the Elmira Enter- 
prise. It was a very creditable sheet being in the 
hands of a young woman. But she married, and 
the newspaper was no more. During the '* Know- 
Nothing" excitement of 1856, there was a weekly 
issued called the American's Own. It did not flour- 
ish any more than the notions it advocated. There 
was a newspaper printed in the German language^ 
called the Chemung County Journal. Its first num- 
ber was issued in 1875, and it lasted just three 
years. There have been several unsuccessful at- 
tempts to establish Sunday newspapers in Elmira. 
The Sunday Times, begun in 1878, didn't last a 
year. The Sunday Tidings ran several years. It 
didn't stop; but emigrated to Buffalo, N. Y., and 
the Sunday Republican came out three or four 
times and then disappeared. 

Some industries and interests have their news- 
papers advocating their own ideas. In 1850 there 
was a monthly called the Temperance Gem, whose 
name indicated its purpose. A monthly in the 
interest of the Conductors' Brotherhood was pub- 
lished for some years in Elmira; while its editorjj 
Calvin S. Wheaton; was a resident there. The 
First Methodist Church has its Quarterly Register; 
and Trinity Church its Record. The Young Men's 
Christian Association publish a Young Men's Jour- 
nal, and the college for women its quarterly; The 
Sibyl 

A monthly general magazine named The Argosy 
was published for a while in Elmira. 

The News, an evening penny paper; was itarted 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 91 

in 1894. The Morning Sun was published four 
times only, in January, 1895. 

The Gazette is the oldest newspaper in the county. 
In 1856, then edited by William C. Rhodes, it 
issued a daily edition for one year. Its manage- 
ment has seen many changes. In September, 
1870, it was made into a stock company, the presi- 
dent of which was the Hon. David B. Hill. On 
April 30, 1860, its daily edition was resumed. 

The Advertiser was started on November 3, 1853, 
being called Fairman's Daily Advertiser, and dis- 
tributed free as an advertising sheet. It was 
issued from the job printing office of the brothers 
Seymour B. and Charles G. Fairman.>>' The news- 
paper became a daily on February 19, 1855. It; 
too, has had numerous changes in its management. 
In October, 1870, it became a corporation or an 
association. In April, 1882, Mr. Fairman left the 
company, and it came under the control of another 
organization; of which the Hon. J. Sloat Fassett 
was the head. 

On May 7, 1879, the first number of the Elmira 
Telegram was issued by three young men; Charles 
Hazard, Henry S. Brooks, and James Hill. It has 
had a remarkable career of prominence and pros- 
perity. 

"'Charles G. Fairman became one of the best-known men 
and newspaper man in the State. He possessed unusual 
faculties of facility and felicity in the use of language in his 
editorial writings. He represented his ward as Alderman in 
the Common Council of the city of Elmira, coming to the 
valley from Niagara County, N. Y., in 1845. He became 
Grand Master of the Odd Fellows of the State of New York, 
was postmaster of the city of Elmira eight years, and was 
Superintendent of the State Insurance Department one term. 



02 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

On May 24; 1888, the first number of the Evening 
Star was issued by Isaac Seymour Copeland"" and 
James S. Woodford. It is now almost in the twen- 
tieth year of its regular evening illumination. 

High officials and eminent men. — The county has 
the honor and credit of supplying to the nation 
and State many distinguished men, more it would 
seem than could have been expected from the 
small area it occupies on the map. Some of these, 
not already accounted for elsewhere in this little 
book, are: The Right Rev. Daniel S. Tuttle, 
Bishop of Missouri, and the presiding bishop of the 
Episcopal Church of the United States. He be- 
longs to the family of the same name that very 
early came into the town of Big Flats; and had 
very much to do with its history. The Hon. 
Lucius Robinson. He was a descendant of Dr. 
John Robinson, one who came over in the famous 
Mayflower, He came to Elmira in 1855, and was 
prominent in business and political matters for 
his whole life. He was member of Assembly, Comp- 
troller of the State twice, a member of the Consti- 
tutional Convention of 1871, and Governor of the 
State. The Hon. David B. Hill. He was born 
in Chemung County, and came to Elmira in 1864; 
served the city as Alderman and Mayor, was elected 
Lieutenant-Governor in 1883, and Governor for 
three terms. In 1891 he was chosen to represent 

*»»Mr. Copeland is a nephew of Seymour Fairman and his 
brother, Charles G. Fairman, being named for the former. 
There seems to have been much of what might be called first- 
class newspaper blood in the Fairman family. It was well 
developed in the brothers and seema somehow to have got 
into the veins of the nephew. 



CHEMUNG COUNTY. N. Y. 93 

the State of New York in the U. S. Senate. Rear- 
Admiral Francis A. Roe, U. S. N. He was the 
son of Isaac Roe, a very prominent man in the early 
history of the valley, and especially in the annals 
of the Methodist Church. He served with great 
credit in the Civil War. He died at Washington; 
D. C, on December 28, 1901. Rear-Admiral Aaron 
KoNKLE Hughes. He was born in Elmira and is 
descended on both sides of his house from settlers that 
early came to the valley. He also served gallantly in 
the Civil War. He died in Washington, D. C, in 1905. 
Rear-Admiral Thomas Perry, U. S. N. He also 
was bom in Elmira, and also descended on both 
sides from the earliest settlers of the valley. Lieu- 
tenant-Commander Lewis S. Van Duzer, U. S. N. 
He was born in Horseheads and is on the high road 
to positions of importance in the arm of the service 
to which he is attached. FRANCIS COLLINGWOOD; 
also born in Elmira, and educated in its public 
schools. He is one of the most eminent engineers 
of the country; has been connected with very im- 
portant undertakings, and was very prominent in 
the construction of the first East River bridge in 
New York. The Hon. John Arnot, Jr.; who en- 
joyed the unique experience of making his second 
canvas for member of Congress in a populous dis- 
trict without any one to contest the matter with 
him. He had been repeatedly Mayor of the city 
of Elmira. The Hon. J. Sloat Fassett. He was 
born in Elmira; being descended from one who, 
during revolutionary times, was of immense assis- 
tance financially to the new and struggling gov- 



94 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

eminent; and was poorly recompensed therefor. 
Mr. Fassett has been District- Attorney of the county; 
a member of the State Senate, Secretary of the 
Republican National Committee, member of Con- 
gress; and has a future full of promise of still higher 
honors. The Hon. Seymour Dexter. He came 
to Elmira in 1864; was County Judge for two terms; 
member of Assembly; and president of the Second 
National Bank of Elmira. He was greatly inter- 
ested in the matter of Building and Loan Associa- 
tions, having made a thorough study of it, and pub- 
lished a book on the subject, which had a large 
sale and is still an authority thereof. He died on 
May 5, 1904. The Hon. H. BoARDMAN Smith. 
He came to Elmira in 1850, and was during his 
lifetime a notable man in the professional, politi- 
cal, social, and Christian life of his time. He had 
few equals as a public speaker. He served two 
terms as member of Congress, and was Justice of 
the Supreme Court of the State. He died in 1888. 
The Hon. John B. Stanchfield. He was bom in 
Elmira, a son of Dr. J. K. Stanchfield, a wise and 
skilful physician. Mr. Stanchfield has been Mayor 
of the city of Elmira; and member of Assembly. 
Gen. Edward M. Hoffman. He was also a de- 
scendant of one of the earliest settlers of the valley; 
whose name is frequently on the records and annals 
of the county. He was very prominent in military 
affairs from his youth. He became the Adjutant- 
General of the State, and died suddenly while in the 
discharge of his duties; on May 19, 1901, having 
developed an unusual aptitude and skill in the 
management of the military affairs of the State. 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 95 

Col. Archie Baxter. He came to Elmira in 1880 
from Steuben County; N. Y. His record in the 
Civil War was one of which any officer could justly 
be proud. He was County Clerk of Chemung 
County for one term; and became U. S. Marshal 
for the Northern District of New York. Few pub- 
lic speakers equal him on the platform; and he is 
constantly in demand for all sorts of occasions. 
He has the unusual distinction of having served 
as clerk of the New York State Assembly for four- 
teen years. Edward B. Youmans, Esq. He came 
to Elmira in 1870; served on the Elmira Board of 
Education for several years; was chairman of the 
Democratic County Committee through several cam- 
paigns; and was the Chief Clerk of the Treasury 
Department in Washington for four years. He 
died in 1892. It may not be exactly accurate to 
claim that Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain); 
was supplied to the world and mankind by the 
county, but it is certain that he lived there several 
years, wrote many of his works in his little cottage 
on *' Quarry Farm," on the hills east of Elmira; 
and chose for his wife a member of a family the 
head of which came very early into the valley. 
We can correctly say that "once tarried he here." 

At the End. — It would seem eminently proper 
that at the conclusion of a little book like this 
some further account of the sacred spots where are 
laid away forever the bodies of those who have 
passed away should be given. What was called 
the Second Street Cemetery ^^ in Elmira; laid out 

"'The first burial in this spot was that of the body of Mrs. 
Dr. E. L. Hart, the services being performed in the summer 
of 1839. 



96 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

in 1838; then far in the country; now almost in the 
center of the city, was in use for twenty years; when 
a new association was formed, the plot chosen 
dedicated by public services on October 9, 1858; 
and called "Woodlawn." The first body buried 
there, and at this time, was that of Col. John Hendy; 
which was taken from the Main Street burying- 
ground and deposited in a permanent spot, from 
where it had laid since 1840. In 1877, all the bodies 
buried in the Main Street ground were also removed 
and placed in a separate spot in "Woodlawn," 
leaving the ground to be a part of Main Street 
Park. 120 There are cemeteries in Elmira in which 
the bodies are buried of those belonging to the 
Roman Catholic and Hebrew faiths. They lie 
near each other and were both dedicated about 
1850. 

«2oIn Horseheads and Breesport there are well-kept ceme- 
teries. In the Breesport one, the first person buried was 
one by the name of Schoonover. In Horseheads the first 
purchase of land for the purpose was made in 1856. By sub- 
sequent purchases the ground became eleven acres in extent. 
It is under the management of the village board. In Van 
Etten village the cemetery is called "Mount Hope." It 
lies within the boundaries of the corporation and the plot 
was purchased on December 1, 1879. In Erin there is an 
association called the "Scotchtown Cemetery Association," 
which was organized on February 11, 1881. In Veteran 
at Pine Valley, the Pine Valley Cemetery Association was 
incorporated on May 5, 1883. Previous to this the burying 
ground was on a knoll near the Baptist Church. The ceme- 
tery near the village is now used. In Millport the first burial 
ground was on the old Bently farm, and there many of the 
bodies of the old settlers lie. The Millport Cemetery Asso- 
ciation was incorporated on November 18, 1870. It has 
control of the cemetery east of the village. The Big Flats 
Cemetery Association was incorporated on July 24, 1855, 
William A. Tuttle being the president of the organization. 
By various purchases the extent of the plot amounts to 
about four acres. 



PART V 

Recapitulation of Important Events 
Happening in the County 



Recapitulation of Important Events 

HAPPENING IN THE COUNTY. 

1779— August 29— Battle of Newtown and the beginning of 

the History of Chemung County. 
1786 — Isaac Baldwin and eight sons settle in Chemung. 
1787 — Timothy Smith settles in Southport. 
— John Breese settles in Horseheads. 
— Christian Mynheer (Minier) settles in Big Flats. 
1788 — Abraham Miller settles in Southport. 
— ^Abner M. Hetfield settles in Southport. 
— ^John Hendy settles in Elmira. 

— Township of Chemung erected, being a part of Mont- 
gomery County. 
— Green Bentley settles in Wellsburg. 
1789 — Eunice Kelsey, first white child born in Wellsburg. 
1790 — Village of Newtown laid out. 
1791 — Final treaty with the Indians at Elmira. 
1792 — April 10 — Township of Newtown erected from Che. 
mung Township. 
— First sawmill built in Wellsburg by Abner and Henry 
Wells. 
1793 — June 28 — First Masonic lodge, Union No. 30, organized 

in the county. 
1795 — Joel Thomas settles in Van Etten. 

— Gen. Jacob Swartwood settles at Swartwood. 
— First Presbyterian minister the Rev. Daniel Thatcher, 
comes to Elmira. 
1796 — First Court House erected at Newtown. 
1797 — The valley visited by the Duke of Orleans, who be- 
came the King of the French. 
1798 — First settler in Veteran, Green Bentley. 
— Van Ettenville first settled. 
— First school-house, a log one, built in Newtown. 
99 



100 A BRIEF HISTORY OP 

1801 — January 1 — First post-office established in the county 
at Newtown, Aaron Konkle, postmaster. 
— April 1 — First post-office established in town of Che- 
mung, George W. Buck, postmaster. 
1807 — July 1 — First turnpike through the county from 

Elmira to Seneca Lake. 
1808 — April 6 — Township of Elmira formed from Chemung. 
1812 — Newtown regularly included in Methodist circuit 
— First Baptist Church built in Wellsburg. 
— First settlers in town of Baldwin, Charles and War- 
ren Granger. 
1815 — First settler in Erin, Basil Sperry. 

— First newspaper printed in county, the Investigator. 
— March — Village of Newtown incorporated. 
1816 — First settler in Catlin, Capt. John Martin 
1818 — Stephen Tuttle settles in Newtown. 

— First frame building erected in Van Ettenville by 
James Van Etten. 
1819 — First stage route established from Newtown to Wilkes- 

barre, Pa. 
1820 — First woolen mill set up in Southport by Silas Billings. 
1822— March 29— Township of Erin formed. 

— April 16 — Township of Southport formed. 
1823 — April 16 — Townships of Big Flats, Southport, Veteran, 

and Catlin erected. 
1823 — Myron Collins establishes woolen mill in Veteran. 
1824 — Court House built in Newtown; second one. 

— First bridge built over the Chemung at Newtown. 
— March 20 — Township of Cayuta formed. 
1826 — January 29 — First dam over the Chemung River 
built. 
— First brick house built in Elmira by Matthew Mc- 
Reynolds. 
1827 — First restaurant opened in Elmira. 
1828 — First tavern built in Horseheads by James Shute. 

— April 21 — Name of village of Newtown changed to 
Elmira, and the village incorporated. 
1829 — First brick building erected in Chemung by Isaac 
Parshall. 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 101 

1832 — First store built in Southport by Isaac Reynolds. 

— Chemung Canal completed. 
1833 — Famous brick hotel built in Southport: "Auster 
Portus Diversorun." 
— January 2 — First post-office established in Erin, 

William D. Stewart, postmaster. 
— April 9 — Chemung Canal Bank chartered. 
1834 — The "Elmira Guards" organized; first military com- 
pany in the county. 
— January — ^The "Elmira Mechanic's Society" organized. 
— March 31 — Trinity Church in Elmira organized. 
— May — First fire-engine for Elmira bought. 
1836 — March 29 — Chemung County organized. 

— May 8 — Chemung County Medical Society organized. 
1837 — May — Horseheads incorporated as a village under 

the name of Fairport. 
1840 — June 25 — Post-office established in Lowmanville under 

the name of West Chemung. 
1846 — First telegraph in the county. 

— January 4 — Park Church in Elmira organized 
1847 — Photography introduced in Elmira. 
1848— First hotel built in Pine City. 
1849 — Illuminating gas introduced in Elmira. 
— Burning of the Eagle Tavern. 

— December — The New York and Erie Railroad finished 
to Elmira. 
1853 — First store built in Lowmanville by George Lowman. 

— Elmira College for Women opened. 
1854 — February 8 — Township of Horseheads erected. 
— ^April 17 — Township of Van Etten erected. 
— April 17 — Portions of Chemung County taken to help 

make the new county of Schuyler. 
— ^June 22 — Post-office established in Catlin, Joseph 
Cooper, postmaster. 
1854 — ^August 1 — Elmira and Williamsport Railroad opened. 
1856 — April 7 — Township of Baldwin erected. 
1858 — July 1 — First meeting of the Elmira Young Men's 

Christian Association. 
1859— Elmira Board of Education organized. 



102 A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

1860— July 30— Post-office established at Swartwoods, 

Jacob Swartwood, postmaster. 
1861 — ^July 30 — Elmira established as a military rendezvous. 
1862 — New Court House built in Elmira. 
1864 — ^April 7 — Elmira made a city. 

— May — Rebel prison camp established in Elmira. 
1865 — March 17 — Great flood in the Chemung River. 
1866 — Northern Central Railroad shops established in El- 
mira. 
1867 — Elmira Opera House built. 

— ^April 21 — The Township of Ashland erected. 
1870 — April 6 — Post-office established at Tompkins Corners, 
Catlin. 
— The Lehigh Valley Railroad extended to Elmira. 
— November 18 — The Village of Millport incorporated. 
1872 — Street railway established in Elmira. 

— August 28 — The Village of Wellsburg incorporated. 
1874 — October 13 — First post-office established at Pine City, 

Emmet Holmes, postmaster. 
1875 — New county clerk's office built. 
1876— The Utica, Ithaca, and Elmira Railroad built. 
— The Elmira Reformatory occupied. 
— October 24 — The village of Van Ettenville incorpor- 
ated. 
— The Elmira and State Line Railroad built. 
1877 — New Sheriff's residence and jail built. 
1878 — Paid fire department in Elmira established. 
1879 — August 29 — Centennial celebration of the battle of 

Newtown. 
1880 — The Elmira post-office moved into the new Masonic 

Temple. 
1882 — The Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad 

completed to Elmira. 
1883 — Electric lighting established in Elmira. 

— The Erie Railway changes its broad guage track to 
the "standard" guage. 
1888 — The new State armory occupied. 
1889 — July 15 — Post-office established at Fero, Catlin, 
James H. Bennitt, postmaster. 



CHEMUNG COUNTY, N. Y. 103 

1896— New City Hall in Elmira built. 

— Village of Elmira Heights incorporated. 

1899 — New charter for the City of Elmira providing for 
twelve wards. 

1900— March 14— Death of the Rev. T. K. Beecher. 

1903— September 13— New Federal building in Elmira occu- 
pied. 
— October 14 — Monument to the Volunteer Fire De- 
partment unveiled at Woodlawn. 

1904 — March 6 — The Lyceum and Auditorium buildings 
burned. 

1905 — ^April 10 — The Elmira Chamber of Commerce or- 
ganized. 

1905 — The Lyceum and Auditorium reopened. 
— The Lake Street bridge completed. 



VPR 20 1907 



